CHAPEL HILL – Just because North Carolina’s impressive recruiting class that signed on the dotted line Wednesday hasn’t been able to visit with the coaches or spend time at the facilities in any capacity doesn’t mean they’ve been out of touch during the NCAA’s extended dead period.

Since mid-March, campuses and face-to-face visits with coaches have been off limits to recruits, even ones that have committed. Quarantines, lockdowns, and reduced everything has been a hindrance in some respects, but not entirely.

UNC’s class of 2021 has still bonded, and insist that is one of their greatest strengths. That’s saying something, given the 18-member group is ranked No. 16 in the nation and includes eleven 4-star prospects, the most for Carolina since Rivals began ranking players in 2002.

“They’ve got a text chain together,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said during a signing day press conference Wednesday. “And they're always picking at each other. And they're there. They're like guys, they're making fun of each other, but they love each other.”

Spring visits, summer camps, the annual July cookout, and six homes games would have been occasions for the players to form strong in-person friendships, but each of those opportunities were nixed. So, they went heavy into modern technology to build their relationships.

Now, team chat groups have been common for years. UNC fans will remember the Redemption Tour chat group the 2017 basketball Tar Heels had that played a role in their ride toward winning the national championship. These high school kids have clearly taken it up a notch, though, courtesy of the advent of zoom.

“It’s everyday communication,” said 4-star quarterback Drake Maye, whose brother, Luke, was on that title team in ’17. “We’re in a group chat, and we actually have Tony (Grimes) in the group chat as well because we still kind of classify him as a ’21. The guys are awesome. It’s going to be fun when I get there, I can’t wait.”

Grimes committed to UNC in early July, but a month later decided to immediately enroll and has started the last three games. The class has certainly enjoyed his early success as a Tar Heel, but more than that they’ve simply enjoyed each other.

Brown was concerned last spring and summer when it became apparent he and his staff wouldn’t have any opportunities to be in front of the players and their families. The possibility of losing them to poachers from other schools was real.

But using strength in numbers, fueled by the chat group, they easily deflected any comers. Carolina’s coach got the sense a while ago the group’s unique closeness and commitment to constantly being on each other would help preserve the class.

“It was pretty early, I can't pinpoint the day or maybe even the month,” Brown said. “But I think when they all realized that they weren't going to be able to see each other at camps, and they weren't going to be able to go to campuses that they started saying, ‘Okay, this is who we are.’

“And instead of pouting, and be down and be griping about what the NCAA is doing, or they won't allow. ‘Hey, what's the next best thing and let's fix it.’ And that's the other thing I like about this class, they have been a very positive, they've been low drama.”

Caleb Hood, a 3-star athlete who will start out at running back when he arrives next month, said the players are “very close” and “talk every day.” There’s a comfort in getting to know each other so well, but also a responsibility.

You have to be real, no games. No drama, like Brown said, which is why the group has made efforts to see each other in person. This isn’t a weekly thing, but they’ve managed to hook up every so often, even in a pandemic.

“We group facetime, and we just check on each other and sometimes plan a trip to go meet up somewhere,” 3-star running back Kamarro Edmonds said. “We go get some food, go hang out, have some fun and get to know each other a little better.”

That has helped make the next step a bit easier.

Playing ball and hanging out together is one thing, but living together? Yet, that’s already been discussed, so much that Brown already has a pretty good idea of what most of the players want.

“They have such a close knit group,” the coach said. “They've been talking about roommates already. So, they're working that out before they even think about being here. So, that's what makes it so cool for us.”

Zoom, facetime, group texts or a meal here and there, UNC’s class of 2021 has somewhat side-stepped limitations thrust onto the recruiting world to build their bond. And that union is rather strong.