4-Star QB Tyler Shough Commits to North Carolina Tar Heels

Tyler Shough announced Thursday he has committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

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#Committed pic.twitter.com/yz8dW7ASLC

— Tyler Shough (@tylershough2) June 15, 2017"

North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora appeared to react to Shough's decision on Twitter:

Shough is the No. 16 quarterback and No. 183 player overall in the 2018 recruiting class, per Scout. According to MaxPreps, the Chandler, Arizona, native threw for 2,079 yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a junior in 2016. 

Shough is an accurate passer who has great size (6'5", 195 pounds) for the position. His stock has risen significantly in recent months, and he'll compete in the Elite 11 finals that begin later this month.

Assuming he signs with the Tar Heels, he'd be the highest-ranked quarterback to join North Carolina since Caleb Henderson, who was the No. 9 QB nationally in 2014. Henderson transferred to the Maryland Terrapins last August.

The departure of Mitch Trubisky has created a vacuum for the Tar Heels at quarterback. 

Brandon Harris, who appeared in 22 games for the LSU Tigers, will likely be the team's starter in 2017. As a graduate transfer, though, Harris only has one remaining year of eligibility, so Fedora may need to find a new starting quarterback all over again in 2018.

That would leave the door open for Shough to start immediately as a true freshman. Nathan Elliott went 8-of-9 for 55 yards while backing up Trubisky as a redshirt freshman in 2016. Elliott will have an experience edge on Shough, but that alone may not be enough for the coaching staff to overlook Shough if they're confident enough in his abilities.