Never Too Early Lineup Look: North Carolina

In our new series, “The Never Too Early Lineup Look,” we’ll preview a potential lineup for a particular school. Since we’re a few months away from even the preseason, there will likely be plenty of moving parts at most schools. And that’s okay. Fans enjoy debating how their favorite teams (or rivals) could look in the upcoming season. 

Today, we’re moving down south to the ACC and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Tar Heels were recently mentioned in InterMat’s recruiting rankings as signing the eighth-best recruiting class in the country. During Rob Koll’s first full recruiting class, he was able to ink nine top-250 prospects and six of the top-100. The Tar Heel staff must have been very in tune with every twist and turn in the recruiting process as six of those prospects flipped commitments to UNC. 

Not only did the North Carolina staff work hard on the recruiting trail, but they also paid close attention to the transfer portal. They’ve added a pair of wrestlers with multiple NCAA Tournaments under their respective belts, along with a potential starter at heavyweight. Without those transfers, Koll’s staff could have a lineup with a few holes or be forced to start true freshmen - maybe before they’re ready. Now, they’ll likely start the year in the top-25 and probably rise from there. 

This is a UNC team that features a pair of All-Americans along with three others with past NCAA experience. Add to that, the Tar Heels had a couple of young starters that turned in quality performances in 2023-24, yet came up just shy of NCAA qualification. 

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