OTs verbal is a dream come true

Being a fan of North Carolina all his life, offensive tackle Morgan Randall out of Greenville (N.C.) Rose felt drawn to the Tar Heels since he was young.

"It's just kind of a dream come true," he said. "I've got a picture of me on Christmas when I was six or seven years old and I got a North Carolina football uniform. Wearing that at age seven, it's tough not to aspire to that and it's just amazing to me that I've been able to grow to the level where UNC wants me."

The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder is the 18th commitment for the Tar Heels this season.

"I've always been following North Carolina athletics and both of my parents went there and I've got a family history there," he said. "When I was thinking what I wanted to do, UNC fit everything I was looking for.

"It's also an extremely nice school and very prestigious. It's one of the top public universities in the nation with rigorous academics."

Randall can now focus on his senior year at Rose.

"I'm glad that I've made a decision and now I can put all this behind me," he said. "I can work on the rest of my high school football career and I don't have to worry about any more pressure.

"My main focus this fall is Rose High School football and we want to win the conference and win the state championship again. In particular for me, I need to work on my strength. I didn't really start lifting weights consistently until about a year ago and that's something I really need to improve on."

Randall expects to bring a lot to the Carolina program.

"I guess the coaches liked my attitude and they think I'm pretty coachable, especially since I've never played on the offensive line," he said. "I hope that I can bring some leadership and athletic ability to the team. I'm hoping I can do whatever they need me to do to make UNC reach its full potential which is a national championship."

Randall hasn't scheduled an official visit with the team, but mentioned he'll probably attend a majority of the home games this season.

"When I watch them I'll be looking at the heart of the team and seeing how hard they play," he said. "I want to see if they really want to be one of those elite teams in the nation like I really believe they do. I'm expecting them to play that way and never give up."