Coach Larry Fedora added to North Carolina's football recruiting class Sunday when he received a commitment from defensive end Justin Thomason of McDonough, Ga.
Thomason (6-foot-3, 240) made his decision while on an official recruiting visit to UNC.
Thomason — who played at Eagle's Landing Christian School for coach Jonathan Gess — also had offers from Southern Mississippi (where Fedora previously coached), Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Arizona State and Missouri, and the previous UNC staff led by Everett Withers also recruited him.
Gess said that familiarity with Fedora and defensive-line coach Deke Adams, who moved with Fedora from Southern Mississippi, helped Thomason make his decision.
"He had a relationship with Deke Adams from Southern Miss, so I think that really helped," Gess said. "And obviously it helped when Deke Adams came in (at UNC), and they started recruiting him a lot harder. UNC's a nice school that these kids think about, and it kind of recruits itself."
UNC has 18 commitments, and Thomason is the fourth player to commit to Fedora, who became UNC's coach Dec. 9. Players can sign binding national letters-of-intent starting Feb. 1.
Thomason played three seasons in the Eagle's Landing program, and Gess said that Thomason had more than 90 tackles last season, plus 26 tackles for losses and 10 sacks.
Thomason helped his team to a 12-2 record and the semifinals of Georgia's Class 1-A (smallest schools) playoffs. He was named his region's defensive player of the year, in voting by coaches, and he has 4.7-second speed over 40 yards.
SuperPrep magazine ranked Thomason as the No. 70 senior in Georgia in the preseason. Thomason also played high school basketball but went out for football as a sophomore and became a starter as a junior.
"He got really focused this season," Gess said. "He became a dominant football player for us."
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