Regardless Of His Position, UNC Is Home To Boaz
Jefferson Boaz wanted to make it personal.
He wanted to be a Tar Heel and had felt the tug for some time, but he wanted to make sure, and if he was going to commit to Mack Brown’s program, he wanted to do so in a manner that further connect him with the North Carolina staff, future teammates and the program as a whole.
So, he ended up popping for the Tar Heels toward the end of Mack Brown’s Showtime Camp on Saturday.
“I wanted to do it Saturday because I wanted to do it in person because I felt like it would mean more,” Boaz told THI not long after becoming the 16th member of UNC’s class of 2020.
Boaz’s father, Jay, played for Brown at UNC in the early 1990s but the draw of attending Carolina and playing for the Heels was greater than just being a legacy. It came down to what most prospects use as tools to determine where they want to go.
“I don’t think it has too much to do with dad playing there as it does like me growing up in that stadium and it being a dream…,” he said.
“I chose UNC because out of all the places I went (because) it had the most home feel and I just felt like it will give me the best chance to excel not only as a football player but as a person.”
At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, Boaz plays several positions in high school: Tight end; linebacker; quarterback; punter, etc. He can play just about anywhere on the field in a high school setting, and while most schools straight recruited him as a tight end, UNC chose to recruit him as an athlete.
Thus, the staff will bring Boaz in and get a look at him doing some different things before settling on where they want him to work. Though, he senses he’s headed to the position most observers believe he’s best suited for,
“Probably tight end, but it’s not 100 percent set in stone,” Boaz said.
Between now and when Boaz arrives in Chapel Hill to be that part of his football life, there’s plenty to work on. He will continue to play a multitude of positions at East Surry High School in Pilot Mountain, NC, but while preparing for college, some emphasis will be on tight end.
The good thing about that, however, is the skills employed by tight ends are applicable to other position groups. And since Boaz is also a quality basketball and baseball player for this school, the well-roundedness of his athletic talents should make the process a fairly smooth transition. But it will take hard work, nonetheless.
“I have to get more comfortable with everything in the position pretty much,” he said. “Gotta get stronger faster and have to have quicker feet.”
Quicker, faster, stronger and improving his balance are the mantra for now, and in time the UNC staff will figure out the best place to utilize those skills. And that’s just fine for Boaz. He’s going to be a Tar Heel, and that’s what’s most important for now.