UNC Recruiting Roundup: October updates on football and basketball

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Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora during the first quarter of the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

 Keeping it Heel brings UNC fans the latest in recruiting news to start the month of October

With each passing week, and every nail-biting UNC football victory, things in Chapel Hill, North Carolina never seem to calm down.

The same can be said for the events off the field, where UNC has been extremely active recruiting the future of its athletic programs.

Over the last month, the Tar Heels have hosted a slew of big-time recruits, and this weekend will be no different.

Basketball and football recruits alike continue to flock to Chapel Hill to see what it is that has made the UNC campus so special for such a long time.

Continue checking back with Keeping It Heel each week as we update you with the happenings of the recruiting world and how it affects the Tar Heels.

UNC hosts four-star running back from the class of 2017

Jalen Holston, a four-star running back in the class of 2017 according to ESPN, will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina this weekend to watch the Tar Heels face off against the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Oddly enough, UNC’s biggest competition in the recruitment of Holston is Virginia Tech. He took an unofficial visit to Blacksburg, Virginia in August to check out the Tech campus.

He now takes an official visit to the University of North Carolina where the Tar Heels’ coaching staff will look to sway his decision their way.

Holston, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back out of Stockbridge, Georgia currently holds offers from Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia Tech among others.

Virginia Tech has long been considered a heavy favorite to land Holston, but UNC is closing the gap in the late stages of his recruitment.

2017 Auburn commit set to visit UNC on Saturday

Nick Brahms, one of Auburn’s top recruits in the class of 2017, will be on hand for the North Carolina, Virginia Tech game this Saturday.

Brahms, who committed to Auburn in early July, chose to attend Auburn over Miami, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Brahms is a 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive lineman who’s ranked 145th overall in the 2017 class according to 247Sports Composite ranking.

In August, Brahms was sidelined for his senior season after suffering a broken right fibula and torn ligaments during practice.

Although he’s already verbally committed to Auburn, he’ll take his official visit to UNC to take in Saturday’s festivities surrounding the ACC Coastal match-up between North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

And after a trip to Chapel Hill, there’s always the possibility that he decides to put on a different shade of blue in 2017

Another big weekend in recruiting for the Tar Heels, this time centered around the North Carolina, Virginia Tech football game

In the early stages of the 2016 NCAA football season, Chapel Hill, North Carolina has been a hot spot for visiting recruits. That trend continues this weekend as the Tar Heels face the Hokies in a top-25 ACC showdown.

Some are shopping the UNC campus for the first time. Some are already verbally committed to North Carolina. Others are already committed to other universities but exhausting their remaining official visits.

Take a look at the recruits who will be on campus this weekend.

UNC will be in Ohio to visit 2017 big man Sterling Manley on Wednesday

The UNC coaching staff will be visiting 2017 power forward Sterling Manley on Wednesday.

The Tar Heels’ latest target is shooting up recruiting boards with interest from Georgetown, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, West Virginia and Xavier.

After UNC assistant coach Steve Robinson watched Manley play a couple of weeks ago, the Tar Heels quickly extended a scholarship offer to the four-star big man.

Manley recently cut his list down to four, leaving North Carolina, Purdue, West Virginia and Xavier as possible suitors for the 2017 prospect.

Manley is a 6-foot-10, 235-pound power forward out of Pickerington, Ohio. Although he would take some time to develop, the Tar Heels would greatly benefit from his commitment to the program.

His size in the front court, as well as the added depth to the roster would put the Tar Heels in a much more comfortable position moving forward.

Current projections from 247Sports place West Virginia as the favorite to land Manley over UNC and Xavier.

Four-star prospect Garrison Brooks set to visit UNC this weekend

Class of 2017 prospect Garrison Brooks will be in Chapel Hill this weekend to visit the University of North Carolina.

The UNC coaching staff began to focus more closely on Brooks in recent months, visiting him in early September and then extending him a scholarship offer.

Brooks is a 6-foot-9, 215-pound power forward out of LaFayette, Alabama who could help UNC fill the void in its front court. Brooks possesses the size that the Tar Heels are looking for, and would provide much-needed depth on the roster.

Along with North Carolina, Brooks currently holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Texas A&M, among others.

According to 247Sports, UNC is currently considered the favorite to land Brooks over Mississippi State.

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