New North Carolina defensive back Lejond Cavazos looks back at decision to transfer from Ohio State football
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North Carolina's basketball run and its ensuing momentum with top players coming back to school has all eyes on Chapel Hill.
Even in other sports.
As Mack Brown looks to bounce back from a subpar 2021 on the football field, he has upped the talent acquisition element of the Tar Heel organization through another top 25 recruiting class and even more via the transfer portal.
The program earned transfer commitments from a pair of Ohio State defenders in late April and for at least one of them, defensive back Lejond Cavazos, the hoops program and specifically the return of breakout headliner Armando Bacot Jr. helped to seal the deal in the decision even as dozens of programs recruited the tall and speedy cornerback.
"I'm not gonna lie, before Mando, I didn't really think about North Carolina," Cavazos admitted. "He started hitting me up and from there I don't know what happened (laughing). He's like my brother, I trust him and I'm glad I get to be with him again."
Peers at national athletic powerhouse IMG Academy before each went onto college, the friendship forged on Florida's Gulf Coast will now carry over onto the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"I got one of my best friends out there with me so I'm happy to be there," he said. "He said they wanted me there and was telling me everything about the school and Chapel Hill. I didn't know what to expect, I hadn't even been to North Carolina before that."
UNC wasn't involved at the top of the list for Cavazos coming out of IMG in the class of 2020, when he picked Ohio State over Oregon, Miami and others. Even in the portal, there was only minimal contact with secondary coach Charlton Warren before Bacot reached out.
The potential visit was far from confirmed at that point.
But once the trip was set, overlapping with fellow OSU-to-UNC football transfer Jacolbe Cowan the weekend of April 22, all other contenders looking to get the San Antonio native on campus would become secondary. Bacot spent time with each football target during the weekend.
"We linked it up and the rest was history," Cavazos said. "It's a beautiful campus, it's real green. I don't know what it is about it, but when they took me on the tour of the campus, I just fell in love with it.
"...It was the whole package for sure."
The football element was of course critical in the commitment. Brown, new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, Warren and cornerbacks coach Dre Bly each played a role in specifying the pitch to Cavazos, who has three years of eligibility remaining.
After a solid spring at OSU, which underwent coaching changes after the 2021 season, there was a greater chance to make an impact on another roster.
"I want to play," he said. "I just want to have a bigger role on the team. There was better opportunity for me elsewhere. I did not expect that many schools to hit me up. I got so many calls and DMs. I was writing down what I wanted to see at different schools, I picked the five schools I wanted to visit.
"I took a trip to Colorado, then I went to North Carolina the week after that and it was over with. I just felt welcomed. The coaching staff was so genuine, they showed me what they could do for me and what I could do for them. Then getting to know some of the guys there, Josh (Downs), Tony (Grimes), Storm (Duck), Cam Kelly, all them guys. They were all cool and it was genuine love, I'm excited to get to work with them boys."
Bacot wasn't the only long-term connection between Cavazos and the university, either.
"I met coach Mack Brown when I was 11," he said. "He was recruiting one of my close family friends. My dad and him have a good relationship, so we trust coach Brown. We had dinner at his house, too. He's a real good guy and the whole team talked to me about that, too, like they love him. I want that in my head coach."
Schematically, Chizik's aggressive style could lean into the lengthy defensive back's strengths on the field, especially given the experience in covering three 2022 first round NFL wide receivers in Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams during his time at OSU.
"I feel like I could just play and not think too much about the play," he said. "That's going to help me a lot on the field, just to play ball."
Cavazos, who reports good health after missing select time earlier in his career, made the 450-plus mile drive from Columbus to Chapel Hill on Monday. He begins classes on campus, with a focus on communications, in the next week.
Offseason conditioning begins with the football program next Monday.
"We're full go!" he said. "I'm just real excited to get there, to get in the film room, to meet my teammates, for it all. I'm just ready to get it rolling."