Three Out-of-State Schools Newly Recruiting North Carolina

Will Helms May 8, 2026 @ 05:04 PM

Welcome to a bonus recruiting article on this lovely Friday at Prep Redzone. Earlier, I looked at some of the players earning their first offers this week. Here, I want to shift perspectives and highlight some colleges that have a renewed (or brand new) focus on recruiting the Tar Heel State. Here are three out-of-state schools recruiting heavily in North Carolina this cycle.

Out-of-State Colleges Recruiting the Tar Heel State

While we're a scouting service first, we can never completely detach the worlds of scouting and the actual recruiting of players. So while we're not here to spoil a player's announcement, we see it as part of our work to keep fans updated on recruiting in the state of North Carolina.

I love looking at recruiting through different lenses. One major theme in North Carolina this season is the initial or renewed interest of several colleges in Tar Heel State athletes. Several out-of-state teams have thrived in North Carolina—schools like Notre Dame and Cornell come to mind—but there's some new competition this year. Here, I'm looking at three schools—each at a different level—that are prioritizing North Carolina more than in the past, and why that's happening.

Virginia Tech Hokies (FBS)

James Franklin and company have renewed the Hokies' hot-and-cold interest in the state of North Carolina this cycle. It's not like the Hokies have never recruited North Carolina heavily. After all, they signed five players from the state under Brent Pry from 2022-2025, though most of them were lower-ranked and without a ton of Power Four competition.

The Hokies have been active this cycle, though, with some of the top players in the state. They've already landed commitments from Xavier Perkins Xavier Perkins 6'3" | 240 lbs | EDGE Jordan | 2027 State NC and Anthony Roberts Anthony Roberts 6'2" | 180 lbs | WR Rolesville | 2027 State NC , both top-35 players in the state. I'd be shocked if those are the only two players the Hokies land from North Carolina.

They've been heavily involved with Grimsley edge rusher Andrew Rogers Andrew Rogers 6'6" | 240 lbs | EDGE Grimsley | 2027 State NC . They've been active in the Triangle, offering several guys from Durham and Raleigh, including Southern Durham's Lance Henderson Lance Henderson 5'11" | 195 lbs | ATH Southern Of Energy And Sustainability | 2027 State NC , who will take an official visit there next month.

All told, the Hokies have offered close to 25 prospects from North Carolina and seem to have some momentum in the Tar Heel State.

Samford Bulldogs (FCS)

FCS Samford has a new coaching staff with a bit of Carolina flair. So it's probably not surprising that there seems to be an increased emphasis on recruiting the Tar Heel State.

The strategy here is obvious. The staff is leveraging previous relationships with some of the state's top coaches to pursue talented players on top teams. Grimsley and Providence Day were the primary targets Thursday.

Samford offensive line coach Brandon Thomas is from upstate South Carolina and played and coached at Clemson, so there's some familiarity. He just arrived in the Tar Heel State about 24 hours before this writing, so I'd expect more offers to go out soon.

Concord Mountain Lions (DII)

Recruiting strategy is fluid and changes year over year. Concord (WV) University head coach Cody Edwards arrived in 2025 from Western Carolina, and the Mountain Lions immediately pushed back into North Carolina. This year, they've taken their interest in the Tar Heel State to a whole new level.

But this year, the Mountain Lions have been the busiest team in the country in North Carolina. A huge part of that is recruiting assistant Chris Hawk, who has been on both the high school and the college side in North Carolina, especially around Charlotte.

The former Chambers High School assistant and Charlotte-area mainstay has been touring the Tar Heel State for multiple weeks, dispensing offers left and right. This isn't an exhaustive list, but here are some guys who Hawk and the Mountain Lions have offered:

This is simply a case of a smaller school being smart with its resources. The Mountain Lions are trusting Hawk's judgment and letting him offer good players at his own stomping grounds. If you noticed a Cleveland County flair, you're right. And it's really smart.

By the way, I've been told that several of Concord's coaches will be at my colleague Matt Morrow's CFI Showcase next week. So expect more offers to come.

Honorable Mentions

Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Army Black Knights
Hampton Pirates
James Madison Dukes
UConn Huskies

This state is big, and it's easy to miss something, especially at this time of year. Want to keep us updated on your recruitment? Tag and/or DM me on Twitter/X (@whelms21) to make sure I know what's going on.