3-star WR Paul Billups commits to North Carolina

Chesapeake (Va.) Western Branch three-star wide receiver Paul Billups has committed to North Carolina. The 6-foot-2, 185 pound wideout chose the Tar Heels over Michigan State and Virginia Tech.

Billups is the No. 648 overall recruit and No. 97 wide receiver in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 13 player in Virginia.

North Carolina’s 2023 recruiting class now contains 16 commitments. Prior to Billups’ pledge, the Tar Heels’ group ranked No. 26 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings and No. 5 in the ACC.

Billups is North Carolina’s third wide receiver commitment alongside Harrisburg (N.C.) Hickory Ridge four-star Christian Hamilton and Maiden (N.C.) four-star Chris Gulliver. Hamilton and Gulliver are both ranked in the top-300 of the On3 Consensus.

The Tar Heels now have four pledges from Virginia following Billups’ commitment. The others are Richmond (Va.) four-star defensive lineman Joel Starlings, Stafford (Va.) Colonial Forge three-star offensive tackle Nolan McConnell and Ashburn (Va.) Loudoun Valley three-star tight end Julien Randolph.

North Carolina received an official visit from Billups on June 24. A week prior, he took an official visit to Michigan State.

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How Billups fits into North Carolina’s 2023 recruiting class

The wideout is now the ninth-highest-ranked prospect in the Tar Heels’ class. The recruits ranked ahead of him include Gulliver, Hamilton, McConnell, Starlings, Durham (N.C.) Southern four-star EDGE Jaybron Harvey, Hickory (N.C.) four-star EDGE Rico Walker, Cornelius (N.C.) William Amos Hough three-star quarterback Tad Hudson and Edmond (Okla.) Deer Creek three-star cornerback Dale Miller.

Other members of North Carolina’s group include Cary (N.C.) Panther Creek three-star EDGE Tyler Thompson, Mableton (Ga.) Whitefield Academy three-star linebacker Caleb LaVallee and Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek three-star cornerback Kaleb Cost. Each of the prospects are top-750 recruits, according to the On3 Consensus.

Billups has an On3 NIL Valuation of $15.5K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.