ACC football championship game between UNC, Clemson to showcase talent from Charlotte

The Clemson-North Carolina battle Saturday won't only determine the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference football champion, but it also will be a showcase for the high school talent developed in Charlotte.

The Tar Heels (9-3) and Tigers (10-2) will duel for the ACC crown in Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, on Saturday (8 p.m., ABC). Highlighting the rosters for both teams will be 32 players who attended Charlotte-area high schools, including 27 for North Carolina.

The lineup of players with local ties includes such stars as North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye (Myers Park High School) and linebacker Cedric Gray (Ardrey Kell), and Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson (Mallard Creek) and running back Will Shipley (Weddington).

UNC coach Mack Brown said he spent a lot of time attempting to recruit Shipley, who was the 2019 N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior.

"Like everybody else, we wanted him,'' Brown said this week. "In fact, most of the players at Clemson we all wanted. Will is tough, he's fast and I love the way he competes. He's such a great young man. He's got an outstanding family. I got really close to his grandmother. I thought that might be our chance. But I love watching him play. The extra yardage he gets. He stirs people up when he gets in that game.''

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The talent pool in the Charlotte area has grown significantly between the time Brown departed UNC in 1997 after a successful 10-year run to become head coach at Texas. His final Tar Heel team before leaving featured only four players from the Charlotte metro. Only one of those, offensive guard James Wagstaff (East Mecklenburg HS), saw significant playing time.

Even when Charlotte boasted one of the top quarterback prospects in the nation back in 2001, only three area players signed with what was then known as NCAA Division I programs. That quarterback was Chris Leak from Independence High, who went on to lead Florida to the 2006 national title.

"We are signing more and more Charlotte kids each year,'' Brown said. "Really and truly, we had some (Charlotte players) when we were here before, but not near as much as we do now.

"There are a lot more people in this state, and specifically Charlotte, than when I left. Now, there are great players in Charlotte every year, and it's a hotbed. Everybody in the country can fly in there, so they are all highly recruited and they are well-coached. The population is such that there are so many great players there. That's why I love playing this game in Charlotte and I love opening up next year with South Carolina in Charlotte because we'll have a lot of the locals (attend).''

UNC's sophomore linebacker Power Echols moved to Charlotte from Arizona when he was in the sixth grade. He attended Chambers High School, where he helped the Cougars claim the 2019 state 4-AA championship as a junior.Two of the biggest games for Chambers during that title run were a loss and a victory against Charlotte rival Mallard Creek. One of Mallard Creek's most prominent players was Clemson's Simpson, a junior many are projecting as a first-round pick in June's NFL Draft.

Mallard Creek won the regular-season meeting 17-7 with Simpson playing a bigger role at running back. But the Cougars bounced back to deal Mallard Creek a 13-7 loss in the first round of the playoffs and Echols was named the Charlotte Observer's Defensive Player of the Year.

Now Echols and Simpson will face off again with another championship on the line.

"He's a great player for Clemson and is doing great things on defense,'' Echols said. "We had great rivalry games in high school. Losing to them early in the season that (championship) year gave us a little extra fuel. But it's kind of cool now that two Charlotte boys get to come back and represent the city and do what we love to do.''

Here's a brief look at some of the most prominent players from Charlotte area high schools competing in Saturday's ACC Championship game.

DEANDRE BOYKINS, UNC, S (Central Cabarrus) - He ranks fourth in team tackles with 59 and is third in pass breakups (6).

POWER ECHOLS, UNC, LB (Chambers) - The sophomore ranks second among UNC tacklers in his first season as a starter with 93, had five tackles for loss and two sacks.

CEDRIC GRAY, UNC, LB (Ardrey Kell) - Another first-team All-ACC selection, Gray leads the league in tackles (130), has nine tackles for loss, two interceptions and has forced three fumbles.

DRAKE MAYE, UNC, QB (Myers Park HS) - Just a redshirt freshman, Maye has set the school single-season record for passing yards (3,847) and is three TD tosses shy of matching Sam Howell's 2019 mark of 38. He was named to the All-ACC first-team on Monday.

BRYSON NESBIT, UNC, TE (South Mecklenburg) - Nesbit became a major part of UNC's passing game as a sophomore, making 30 catches for 459 yards and three touchdowns.

WILL SHIPLEY, Clemson, RB (Weddington) - The sophomore became the first ACC player to earn first-team all-league honors at three positions recently with his selection at running back, all-purpose player and specialist. He's second in the league rushing currently with 1,092 yards and has scored 14 touchdowns.

TRENTON SIMPSON, Clemson, LB (Mallard Creek) - A third-team All-ACC pick, Simpson's 68 total tackles are third among Clemson defenders. CBSSports.com ranks Simpson the top linebacker available for the 2023 NFL Draft and the No. 7 prospect overall.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: ACC football championship game UNC vs. Clemson shows Charlotte talent