College Football Recruiting 2014: Potential No. 1 Recruit Visits North Carolina

Da'Shawn Hand is being recruited by nearly every major program in the country because he's arguably the best player in the entire 2014 class.

The 6'4", 240-pound rising junior has taken only two visits so far, but has upwards of 30-plus offers already (basically all the recruiting powers) after notching 21 sacks and 86 tackles as a sophomore last season.

Today, according to Michael Clark of Scout.com, he'll make his third visit as he journeys to see the North Carolina Tar Heels, a program that is making him a huge priority:

"

Arguably the top prospect in the '14 class, Woodbridge (Va.) DE Da'Shawn Hand,is visiting #NorthCarolina today.He will be arriving shortly.

— Michael Clark (@clarkbmichael) June 18, 2012"

Hand is widely considered a potential candidate to be ranked No. 1 overall recruit in the 2014 class--he's all but guaranteed a unanimous 5-star rating.

His first two visits were to Virginia and Virginia Tech as they were both relatively close to his high school in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Chapel Hill is also relatively close, at least in terms of football powers in the area, so this could be nothing more than a convenience move by the potential star. That said, he values academics more than most and UNC provides a unique education that a number of big-name programs don't.

They also have a solid defensive linemen/pass rush lineage in recent years that includes the likes of Julius Peppers, Kentwan Balmer, Robert Quinn, Marvin Austin and Quinton Coples. Chapel Hill was also once home to arguably the most disruptive defensive player in NFL history, Lawrence Taylor.

This visit is just the start of things for Hand. He'll make countless visits in the next few years and be offered by countless more schools before his junior season comes to a close.

UNC is fortunate they have a chance to get in his ear today because his schedule will be even busier in a few months time than it is now.

Da'Shawn Hand is a name to remember over the next two years. The North Carolina Tar Heels can only hope he thinks as highly of them as they do of him.