North Carolina was one of the first schools to offer Roswell (Ga.) offensive lineman Trey Zimmerman, but that was under former Tar Heel coach Larry Fedora. Not long after he was let go and Mack Brown took over in Chapel Hill, North Carolina re-offered Zimmerman.
Since Brown took over, the 6-foot-5, 294 pound junior has visited twice. His second visit came last weekend and that visit sealed the deal.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
"After I got done with my meeting with coach Brown Saturday, I knew I wanted to be a Tar Heel," said Zimmerman. "The honesty coach Brown has with meant a lot. He didn't give me the recruiting talk, he just spoke the truth and that went a long way.
"Coach Brown didn't tell me I was going to be the best in the world or some of the stuff other coaches give you, and he is just always honest with me. Coach Brown just really kept it so real with me and that did it for me.
"I feel coach Brown will lead North Carolina into a top program in the ACC. I feel can take the team to compete with Clemson, maybe even knock off Clemson. I am a believer in him.
"When coach Fedora was there, I wasn't even considering North Carolina, but as soon as coach Brown took over, I knew I had to go check them out. He is a Hall of Fame coach, he is one of the best to coach and he played a big role.
"I also have a great relationship with coach Lonnie Galloway. He was at Louisville and they were my second offer, so we had built a good relationship and that played into my decision too.
"This was probably the probably the toughest decision I ever had to make. I have good relationships with coaches at so many different schools, so this was not easy. I love so many coaches, I felt comfortable at different schools, and I just went with my gut.
"In the end, I chose North Carolina over Auburn and then it was Georgia Tech. I was at one time leaning towards Auburn, but it changed a little while ago. I started to really think things over and I started thinking about after football and the degree from North Carolina stood out. I took value in the degree and I feel that can help me do very well after football.
"I feel confident in my decision and I feel very good about my commitment to North Carolina. I am sleeping better since making my decision. The hardest part of this was telling coaches that I was committing to their school.
"I am done with recruiting. Commitment to me means that is where you are going to go to school. I don't agree with the kids that keep tweeting out offers after they commit or visiting other schools. To me, a commitment in recruiting means you are done. I am very happy with my decision. I have no doubt that I chose the right school for me."
RIVALS REACTION
Mack Brown and his staff is putting together a very strong recruiting class in 2020. Zimmerman is the eighth commitment in this class and the second prospect out of Georgia to commit to the Tar Heels. This class currently ranks in the top 10 on the Rivals 2020 Team Rankings and you have to go back to 2009 to find the last top 10 class for the Tar Heels. They have only signed one top 20 class (2011) in that time, so coach Brown has some real momentum going there. Zimmerman is a strong, physical offensive lineman that plays with an edge. He is strong at the point of attack, he can drive the defensive lineman off the ball and he has a great work ethic as well.
