PITTSBORO — Local high school football prospect Gus Ritchey shocked everyone on Tuesday, Aug. 1, as he announced his decision to commit to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Ritchey, a rising junior at Northwood, appeared on the Inside Carolina Noon Dish Podcast on Tuesday and made his decision public there.
The three-star defensive end/tight end held scholarship offers from over 20 Division-I programs, including ones from Georgia, Michigan, Colorado, Notre Dame and Oregon. Ritchey’s first offer came back in January 2022 from the University of Washington, and by the end of that month he had already racked up five more offers.
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Ritchey is ranked as the No. 30 athlete and the No. 363 player nationally in the Class of 2025. He is the Tar Heels’ second commit from the class, joining East Forsyth quarterback Bryce Baxter.
Playing as a sophomore this past fall, Ritchey totaled 61 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and two forced fumbles at defensive end while catching 32 passes for 490 yards and five touchdowns at tight end. The Chargers finished the year with a 4-6 record, but with Ritchey leading the way and a new coach in charge in Mitch Johnson, Northwood looks ready to make a leap starting in 2023.
It’s unclear what position Ritchey will play once arrives at UNC, but he could make an impact at either defensive end or tight end. The Tar Heels have a history of churning out solid pass-rushers like Julius Peppers and Robert Quinn, but they have also had big names at tight end before — namely Eric Ebron.
Northwood kicks off its 2023 season at home Aug. 18 against Riverside-Durham, which had a 6-5 record in 2022. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since a 27-7 Chargers’ win back on Sept. 14, 2012.