Durham (N.C.) Riverside defensive end Weslye Saunders made the short trip down the road last weekend to Chapel Hill. The 6-foot-5, 270-pounder was in attendance at the North Carolina basketball game against Florida State.

"It was pretty nice and a good game," he said. "I got to hang out with a few of the recruits including Tydreke Powell, Ryan Houston, Quan Sturdivant and Dwight Jones. I knew all of them from the Shrine Bowl.

"As for the game, I loved it. It was very exciting down there and I had a good time."

While on campus, the three-star prospect met the new Tar Heel coaching staff.

"I met with Butch Davis, John Blake and the rest of the staff," he said. "Coach Davis basically said I could be the resurrection of the UNC program, while coach Blake showed off his two Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys. He was really down to earth and a cool guy."

Although he met with John Blake, Saunders is being recruited by the Tar Heels as a tight end.

This weekend, the No. 12 prospect in North Carolina will be making a trip back to Chapel Hill for his official visit.

"I just want to go and talk more with the coaches," he said. "This time around I'll have a lot more time talking to them and I'm looking forward to it."

Currently Saunders claims he's down to the Tar Heels and Gamecocks.

"After the visit this weekend, I'll go to South Carolina next week and be ready to decide probably at a banquet at school on February 5th," he said. "I've always been high on UNC since they were the first school to offer me and I like what coach Davis has done with tight ends in the past.

"It goes without saying I also like the offense that coach Spurrier runs at South Carolina. It's a nice plus that he is not only the head coach, but also the offensive coordinator."

Saunders maintains it is a dead heat between his two finalists.