Bentley Spain Commits to North Carolina: Tar Heels Land Major 4-Star OT Recruit

The North Carolina Tar Heels have picked up another big-time commitment, represented by 4-star offensive tackle Bentley Spain.

Spain is the No. 13 offensive tackle and the No. 7 player from North Carolina, both according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Simply put, he's a huge pickup for Larry Fedora and his staff. Spain is 6'6'', 275 pounds and hails from Charlotte, N.C.

Alex Conway of Tar Heel Illustrated reports (citing his colleague Adam Powell) that Spain has indeed picked North Carolina, choosing the Tar Heels over Stanford:

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Tar Heel Illustrated's Adam Powell was on-site covering UNC's "Beast of the Hill" seven-on-seven event when Spain showed up and made his decision in front of the UNC coaching staff and others in attendance.

Spain recently took a trip to Stanford to check out their football program.

The rumor was that it was between UNC and Stanford for Spain's final decision and on Monday the Tar Heels found out the 6-foot-6, 285-pound offensive lineman would be staying in-state.

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Spain turned down other notable offers, according to 247Sports, from the likes of Florida, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Penn State and South Carolina, among others, which goes to show just how big of a commitment this was for North Carolina.

Caleb Henderson, a 4-star pro-style quarterback, is arguably the Tar Heels' marquee recruit, but they've also landed another important player in 4-star offensive tackle—as rated by 247Sports rankings—Caleb Samuel out of Macon, Ga.

In total, North Carolina has now rounded up a stellar 19 commitments for 2014 and is ranked No. 15, according to the 247Sports team rankings. Spain's commitment is a big reason the Tar Heels are ranked so high nationally.

To put it in perspective, North Carolina is recruiting better than major recruiting powerhouses such as Auburn, Florida and South Carolina at the moment. While that will certainly change through the course of this cycle—those classes are sure to get better if history is any indicator—it is still worth noting.

The Tar Heels are hot on the recruiting trail, so Fedora and his staff deserve a huge tip of the cap.

Note: Star rankings courtesy of the 247Sports Composite unless otherwise noted.