Mack Brown received his biggest recruiting win yet at North Carolina when defensive end Desmond Evans announced his commitment to the Tar Heels on Friday.
Evans is the No. 2-ranked prospect in the 2020 class, a five-star and the highest-ranked recruit in the state of North Carolina. All three of those facts are important, as Brown and his staff have already elevated North Carolina's recruiting profile since Brown was hired in November 2018.
What the commitment means for North Carolina
When Brown was hired, he said keeping the best in-state players at home was going to be not only a priority but a major part of whether his program would have success.
"You go to different places out of state to get some players, but to me, you got to win at home first," Brown said. "You got to win in this stadium before we can go somewhere else and win. You got to win at home in recruiting before you can go out of state. Because if the locals won't come, why would an out-of-state guy that's really good want to come?"
Brown acted quickly on that strategy after he was hired, flipping ESPN 300 quarterback Sam Howell, who was the No. 3-ranked recruit in the state of North Carolina, from Florida State. Howell has been one of the best freshman quarterbacks in the country and looks like he'll be a major part of the program's success in the future.
In compiling the 2020 class, Brown has had more time to build relationships and formulate a strategy. Adding Evans to this class gives North Carolina the No. 1- and No. 3-ranked recruits in the state -- defensive end Myles Murphy previously committed -- and four of the 11 ESPN 300 recruits in the state.
This is the first time UNC has landed the No. 1 recruit in North Carolina since the ESPN 300 started in 2012. Big names from the state had consistently chosen schools other than North Carolina, which is partly why the Evans commitment is so significant. Previous Tar Heel State phemons like defensive end K.J. Henry, linebacker Justin Foster and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence all chose Clemson.
If Brown can continue to win on the field, bring in top prospects and maybe even more importantly develop those players once they're on campus, he could have something special in Chapel Hill. -- Tom VanHaaren
Scouting report: Evans is a Myles Garrett type
ESPN national recruiting director Tom Luginbill offered a scouting report of Evans: "Evans is an impact player at a premium position who [the Tar Heels] have had to fight to retain. Coach Brown knows that defensively, in order to compete with Clemson, he has to get defensive line personnel that can rush the passer and disrupt with speed and explosiveness. Evans' length, first-step quickness and burst off the edge are on an elite level, matched with a frame, at 6-foot-6 and 251 pounds, that is oozing with upside. We see flashes of Myles Garrett out of high school."
What's next for schools that missed on Evans?
Prior to his commitment, Evans told ESPN that the final schools on his list were Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia Tech. It was believed that if North Carolina missed out on Evans, Florida would be the most likely benefactor.
All the involved schools had a good idea where Evans was leaning, so Friday's announcement isn't a surprise. The Florida staff was able to land defensive end Lloyd Summerall in the 2019 class and has Antwaun Powell already committed in 2020. Powell could end up playing a hybrid role in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's defense, and while any team would want to add an elite pass rusher similar to Evans, it won't be a huge blow to Florida's future defense to be without Evans.
Another team not listed in Evans' top list that was impacted by the decision is NC State. The Wolfpack were originally in on Evans' recruitment and currently have an in-state ESPN 300 recruit committed -- wide receiver Porter Rooks.
In 2019, NC State was able to land the No. 2 recruit in the state, and the best defensive end from North Carolina, in Savion Jackson, as well as ESPN 300 defensive tackle C.J. Clark. The Wolfpack had three ESPN 300 in-state commits in 2018 and have been recruiting the state very well up to this point.
That said, if Brown and his staff consistently start landing the best players in the state, it could have an impact on NC State's overall program. That staff won't lay down and let that happen, so it should be interesting to watch the future battles among the in-state schools as well as the out-of-state schools, including Clemson, that have had success recruiting the state.