Team breakdown: UNC off to fast start; Pittsburgh a hotbed

Many of the teams in the Mid-Atlantic have a lot riding on the upcoming season and many are just trying to keep the momentum going. Check out where some of the major teams currently stand.

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North Carolina is doing a great job early in the 2017 cycle. The Tar Heels have one of the top recruiting classes in the country and it is mainly due to their in-state recruiting efforts. Five of their seven current commitments are from North Carolina and they all rank within the top 11 prospects in the state. Three of North Carolina's in-state commitments are in the Rivals250 and Larry Fedora and his staff have also picked up commitments from Rivals250 running back Adarius Lemons from Florida and Rivals250 wide receiver Tyler Smith from Georgia.

North Carolina's berth in the ACC Championship game last season has given the Tar Heels a lot of momentum to work with on the recruiting trail. There are some big fish still out there for North Carolina and expect them to continue to surge over the next few months. If the season goes the way its expects it to go, North Carolina could be headed for a top 10 recruiting class.

Penn State has a handful of highly rated commitments before April. Sound familiar? The same thing happened in the 2016 class. The Nittany Lions held commitments from four highly rated 2016 prospects before the heart of the offseason hit and the same thing has happened in the 2017 class. Rivals250 quarterback Sean Clifford was the first, followed by highly regarded linebacker Dylan Rivers, and then big-time defensive ends Yetur Matos and Damion Barber joined the group.

As the offseason progressed last year Penn State picked up plenty of additional commitments and almost had a full class going into the season, but then a rash of decommitments hit when the season wasn't going the way many thought it would. The Nittany Lions need to stay on par with expectations this year, so the decommitments don’t come in bunches like last year. Will the new assistant coaches help Penn State from having another down season?

It is a good year for talent in western Pennsylvania. The top rated cornerback in the Rivals100 is Lamont Wade from Clairton, Pa. Paris Ford (No. 45 in the Rivals100), Joshua Lugg (No. 76 in the Rivals100), David Adams (No. 100 in the Rivals100), Donovan Jeter (No. 235 in the Rivals250), and CJ Thorpe are all four-star prospects from the Pittsburgh area. Other big-time prospects that have gotten and will get their fair share of attention like Kurt Hinish, Exree Loe, Kenny Robinson and more also call western Pennsylvania home.

It is crucial for Pittsburgh to lock down western Pennsylvania if they hope to continue to improve as a team. So far Ford and Loe are the only ones to commit to the hometown team. Notre Dame has raided the Pittsburgh area, picking up commitments from three of the top seven players in western Pennsylvania in Lugg, Adams, and Hinish. Many think Jeter will eventually sign with the Panthers, but Pat Narduzzi and his staff need to fight off a long list of heavy hitters to make sure big-timers like Wade and Thorpe don’t go elsewhere.

Much like its rivals down the street, N.C. State has done a good job of focusing its recruiting efforts in its home state. Defensive tackle Grant Gibson is currently its highest-rated commitment. Defensive back Chris Ingram has a ton of potential and, with a good spring and senior season, he could move up the rankings. It’s always an added bonus when teams get a quarterback commitment early in the process. N.C. State has Matt McKay, a well-known prospect in the Raleigh area, already on board. There is a lot of hype around him and he will have his chance to prove his fans right during the upcoming camp season. Tight end Damien Darden figures to be a big part of the Wolfpack offense down the line.

Dave Doeren and his staff still have a ways to go to fill out this class and there are some highly rated prospects for them still out there. Getting more depth and more talent on the offensive and defensive lines is a top priority for the Wolfpack. Four-star offensive lineman TJ Moore and four-star defensive tackle Xach Gill are still on the market and they are in-state prospects.

The end of the Randy Edsall era seems like the distant past in College Park. Recruits and their coaches say D.J. Durkin and his experienced and energetic staff have completely changed the attitude, culture, and feel at Maryland. Over the past few weeks the Terps have hosted highly rated prospects from all over the country. Their focus remains on the DMV but players from as far as Florida, New England, and Michigan have flocked to Maryland to see the changes at Maryland.

With all that in mind, Maryland’s 2017 class has only one commitment, tight end Andrew Park. When will more players commit? Many of the top rated targets are waiting to see how different the schemes play calling will be. Some might see enough during the spring game on April 16 to feel confident enough in the direction of the team to commit and it could take longer for others. Don’t be shocked if commitments start coming in bunches if Maryland starts making waves on the field early in the season.