The four ACC football programs in North Carolina have put in work to keep some of the best talent from high schools in the state home for college.
NC State head coach Dave Doeren has had massive success with in-state talent dating back to his program's work in the class of 2018. Shortly after that, Mack Brown returned to UNC, and made his mark on in-state talent by landing several prominent prospects in Chapel Hill.
This season, the in-state recruiting battle has continued, with the Wolfpack and Tar Heels both landing dynamic playmakers from across the state as well as key players in the trenches.
While Duke and Wake Forest have primarily built their recruiting classes around out-of-state talent, but still have players from North Carolina committed to their programs.
HighSchoolOT will be tracking the performance of each of these commits on a weekly basis over the course of the season.
In Week 2, UNC commit Malcolm Ziglar of Fuquay-Varina delivered a second-straight game-breaking performance as he led the Bengals to a win over a ranked Apex team with a long receiving touchdown and a defensive score on a play in which he ripped the ball away from a runner and ran it to the end zone himself.
NC State
- Jonathan Paylor, RB, Cummings - 17 carries, 218 yards, 2 touchdowns in loss to Western Alamance
- Terrell Anderson, WR, Grimsley - 1 reception, 30 yards in win over Rolesville
- Brody Barnhardt, S, Providence Day - 5 solo tackles, 11 total tackles. 4 carries, 30 yards; 1 reception, 15 yards in win over Asheville
- Tyler West, OT, Andrews - Helped team gain 523 rushing yards in win over East Henderson
- Isiah Jones, RB, Rolesville - Did not play in loss to Grimsley
- Trent Mitchell, OT, Ashbrook - Open week
- Zane Williams, LB, Wake Forest - 11 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended
UNC
- Alex Taylor, WR, Grimsley - 3 receptions, 87 yards in win over Rolesville
- Jordan Shipp, WR, Providence Day - 5 receptions, 95 yards, 1 touchdown in win over Asheville
- Malcolm Ziglar, S, Fuquay-Varina - Receiving touchdown, defensive touchdown in win over Apex.
- Keenan Jackson, WR, Weddington - Helped Weddington improve to 2-0 with win over Ardrey Kell
- Khalil Conley, S, Christ School - 5 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss in loss to St. Joseph Regional (NJ)
- Curtis Simpson, DL, Kings Mountain - 4 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks in win over Cox Mill
- Javarius Green, WR, Crest - 3 receptions, 71 yards, 2 touchdowns in win over Burns
- Desmond Jackson, OT, West Forsyth - Helped West Forsyth rush for 290 yards, team allowed just one sack in win over Oak Grove.
- Jani Norwood, OL, Eastern Randolph - Helped team allow just one sack in win over Asheboro
Duke
- Landan Callahan, ATH, Reagan - Lost 14-13 to Mooresville
- Jeremiah Melvin, WR, Cape Fear - Open Week
- Josh Harrison, DL, Christ School - 6 total tackles in loss to St. Joseph Regional (NJ)
- Samuel Neely, CB, Weddington - Helped Weddington defense hold Ardrey Kell scoreless
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