So is Tar Heels’ commitment Price really a 4.3?

New North Carolina commitment Jabari Price—you know, the Pompano Beach (Fla.) Ely CB—who just switched from Minnesota—called me back last night, and one of the first things I asked him was whether he really had 4.3-second speed in the 40-yard dash, the rather spectacular figure his coach had offered on Wednesday.

“Yeah, I ran a 4.3 last summer, at a Broward County (Fla.) camp,” Price said. “It was exactly 4.39.” Well, I would round that off to 4.4, but who’s quibbling? It’s still extraordinarily fast.

Asked about his switch to Chapel Hill, Price, who visited North Carolina last weekend, said, “It had more proximity to home, where my friends and family could get there to see my games easier. And the coaching staff really made me feel good about them as people.”

He said he went home and back to school, and spent the whole day thinking about his decision rather than classwork.

“Tuesday night I made up my mind for good,” Price said.

He doesn’t plan to take any more visits.

As far as playing time, Price thinks he might see some action as a true freshman.

“At corner, they have two juniors and two seniors,” he said. “If I don’t play next year, I could easily see myself red-shirting and coming back to play after that.”

--Stan Olson