Well, it was not as much of a surprise if you follow recruiting analysts on Twitter, but as of two days ago UNC was not even on Simmons list and he had not officially visited. Things change quickly.

Around 11:15 AM today, Simmons picked North Carolina over USC and Oregon, among others, in what will likely wrap-up the Heels class. Simmons is a huge pick-up. Due to his recent performance in the U.S. Army All-American Game, Simmons climbed up to a five-star on Scout.com. 

InsideCarolina.com is reporting that the Tar Heels have received a verbal commitment from JUCO running back Stephen Houston. He was the fallback guy after Savon Huggins committed to Rutgers. 

The importance of the Houston commitment lies in the numbers. The depth chart did not look as deep as the staff would have liked at running back, and we saw this year how many running backs could get injured.

Another problem with the running back depth chart is the fact that many of them have had major injuries in the last year. Gio Bernard has struggled and sat out this last year with an ACL injury, and freshman Travis Riley has had a similar injury. So adding depth to this position is a very good idea.

Houston originally had committed to Mississippi out of high school, but did not have the grades to get in. Assuming he now has the grades, he should be a strong runner for the Heels. While not a heavily recurited or highly-ranked prospect, you never know how well a running back can produce after one year of Junior College. Hopefully, he will carry the ball for a lot of yards instead of just taking up a scholarship.