4-star defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. sets visit to North Carolina

Despite leaving North Carolina out of his most recent top five schools, four-star New Bern (N.C.) defensive lineman Keith Sampson Jr. has scheduled a spring visit to Chapel Hill.

Sampson announced Friday afternoon that he will visit the Tar Heels the weekend of March 26. He previously visited UNC last June.

The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder ranks as the nation’s No. 197 prospect, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also checks in as the No. 26 defensive lineman in the country and No. 5 prospect in North Carolina.

Visit schedule for March 26, 2022 @CoachGeneChizik @warriordad4 @CoachMackBrown @DonCallahanIC @NCPreps @RivalsFriedman pic.twitter.com/ESAMiFKS2O

— Keith Sampson Jr. (KJ) (@ksampson94) February 11, 2022

Three weeks ago, Sampson named his top five schools. Clemson, Georgia, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Ohio State were the schools on that list. But he later told On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons that Florida State was replacing Georgia on the list.

A deep conversation with Florida State defensive line coach Odell Haggins made a big impact.

“I talked with Coach Haggins Sunday night and he gave me a lot to think about. He asked me the tough questions that I didn’t have the answers to, and I liked that. … I have a lot of respect for him, he is a coach that I trust, and Coach Haggins is a coach I would like to be around.”

In addition to the junior day at N.C. State, Sampson also made his way to South Carolina and Clemson in the month of January. He told Simmons that he plans to see Florida State the first weekend in March, but isn’t in any hurry to make a commitment or cut his list down further.

“I am not going to commit until after I take my official visits,” Keith Sampson Jr. said. “I am going to take those during the season, so at the earliest, I could commit late in the season. … The visits are important, so I am just taking my time. I am going to do a lot of research on my top schools, get as many details as I can, take my visits, then make my decision.”