North Carolina CB signee Zion Ferguson: Tar Heels 'stuck with me to the end'

Gainesville (Ga.) three-star cornerback Zion Ferguson committed to LSU last September. The opportunity to play for a high-profile SEC program was big, but another school was working harder to show the defensive back he was a priority.

North Carolina got Ferguson to Chapel Hill for an official visit on June 23. Two days later, he flipped to the Tar Heels. He’s now signed with UNC and is one of eight top-500 recruits in Mack Brown’s top-30 recruiting class — per the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Before heading to North Carolina, Ferguson is in Orlando taking part in the Under Armour All-America Game on Jan. 3. During media check-in on Friday, he detailed the push that the Tar Heels made for his pledge.

“I have family in North Carolina, I was born in North Carolina, you know, Coach (Charlton) Warren has been recruiting me hard since the beginning,” Ferguson said. “Even when I was at LSU, he was one of the coaches that was still talking to me almost every day, trying to get at me, they just stuck with me to the end.”

Ferguson’s roots, relationships led him to Chapel Hill

Warren, Brown and the Tar Heels never took their foot off the gas in their pursuit of Ferguson. Knowing his background and his family ties to the state, Ferguson was also greeted with a family feeling any time he was on campus.

“The family and the culture. (Brown) made everybody feel like family. The second I came in the other day for the bowl game, I just clicked with everybody and just gelled together,” Ferguson said.

For most, the recruiting process is never easy. Schools come in from all different angles, each with their own unique pitch as to why you should come and play for them. Ferguson’s process began a little later than most prospects, making things even more confusing at times. Once UNC arose, however, he had his answer.

“It feels great. The process, it was a whole hassle, you know. Started at the end of my 10th grade, started late after a lot of people, just rode it on out and ended up where I wanted to be and where I felt like I was needed and where i’m going to make the most impact,” he said. “Had I went to LSU, I probably wouldn’t have been the same, better off…UNC, they were coming after me a lot harder than LSU, but I was more focused on where I wanted to go instead of where I needed.”