Mar 7, 2010
DURHAM — T.J. Thorpe, a junior athlete at Jordan High School in Durham, committed to North Carolina and head coach Butch Davis on Sunday morning.
"We talked about it on Friday, but I didn't pull the trigger until this morning," Thorpe said Sunday.
Thorpe said the time he spent at the school ultimately led him to his decision.
“Basically the experience I had when I was there sold me. I talked to the coaches and got real comfortable with them," he said. "The more and more I was there, the more I could see myself there."
Thorpe said the players at North Carolina enjoy being there, and that they all have a good relationship with Davis and his staff.
"No other school could really compare to them in my eyes," said Thorpe. "It's just unbelievable how close we’ve gotten already."
As an incoming freshman in the fall of 2011, Thorpe doesn't expect to be given playing time right away, but he does expect to compete for playing time.
“I don’t expect to play anywhere right away, but I do expect to have an opportunity to play and compete for a spot," he said. "Greg Little is leaving, so that's going to leave the door open for someone to take."
With nearly 11 months until National Signing Day, Thorpe will still be the target of other schools. Including North Carolina, Thorpe has offers from Duke, East Carolina, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, South Carolina and Wake Forest. But Thorpe insists his commitment is firm.
“I’m the type of person that once I say I’m committed to somewhere, I’m going there," he said. "I’m not going to be doing any of the switching and stuff like that. There’s nothing that’s going to change it."
Last season, Thorpe recorded five kick returns for touchdowns, 120 rushing yards on 18 carries, and caught 55 passes for 950-yards and five scores. Jordan was 6-6 overall last season and advanced to the first round of the state playoffs.
Thorpe said it hasn't sunk in yet that he's going to be playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“It’s wild, this is what I’ve always wanted," he said. "I grew up watching all these teams, and now I'm going to be the one on the field playing. I still haven't wrapped my mind around it all."
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