Jarran Reed commits to UNC

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on June 19, 2012 1:48 PM

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Jarran Reed has always been a big man. Now he will be a big man on a big stage. The former Goldsboro High School standout committed to the University of North Carolina to play football on Sunday night.

Reed realized his lifelong dream of donning the blue and white was finally true.

"Being a kid in North Carolina, I grew up with UNC football," Reed said. "It was a dream of mine to play for the Tar Heels and now it looks like I am going to get that chance."

The 6-foot-4, 303-pound behemoth honed his skills under Goldsboro head coach Eric Reid. Reed was named the Goldsboro News-Argus All-Area Defensive Player-of-the-Year in 2010. During that season he put himself on the recruiting map with 118 tackles, including 59 solo tackles and one fumble recovery.

Reed was also named to the NCpreps.com All-State 1-A team for his efforts.

Although he built a devastating reputation on the field, it was academic issues that kept him out of the Division I spotlight.

That is where Hargrave Military Academy came into the picture. Known as one of the top prep schools in the country, Hargrave routinely prepares players to continue their careers at four-year universities.

"The biggest thing for me has been to get myself in order academically," Reed said. "At Hargrave they taught me study skills and structure, and helped me reach my full potential in the classroom."

Reed recently graduated from Hargrave and will enroll at East Mississippi Community College this fall before making his way to Chapel Hill in 2013. He is projected as a defensive tackle/defensive end in head coach Larry Fedora's defense.

"We are really proud of Jarran for all of his accomplishments," Reid said. "He always went to camps at Carolina when he was younger and I know that he has always wanted to play there."

Reed's list of potential destinations expanded during his time at Hargrave, but when it came down to making a decision he was ready to pull the trigger. He chose UNC over several other interested schools like Mississippi State and Arkansas.

"There were a few schools who talked to me and showed interest over the past year or so," Reed said. "But when it came down to it, I am from North Carolina and that is where I wanted to play."