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Carmel tight end commits to North Carolina

Here's the catch for Noah Turner, who plays tight end in Carmel Catholic's triple-option offense: He's going to catch the football at the University of North Carolina.

Moreover, the incoming senior believes his ability and willingness to block, which he does most of the time for the Corsairs, helped his value.

"There are not many tight ends out there anymore that like to block," Turner said. "Carmel has given me the (opportunity) to do both (block and pass-receive). I didn't get as many passes (last season) as I would have liked, but I also think my blocking is what helped my recruiting a ton."

After receiving 18 scholarship offers, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Turner gave UNC head coach Larry Fedora a verbal commitment, choosing not to wait until his second planned visit to Chapel Hill in a couple of weeks.

Turner visited UNC for the first time over Spring break. Among the schools he turned down were Maryland, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois and Wake Forest.

North Carolina went 6-7 last season, earning a bowl bid for the second year in a row. The Tar Heels ranked third in scoring and fifth in total offense in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Former UNC tight end Eric Ebron was the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft by Detroit last year.

"It really came down to Maryland and North Carolina," Turner said. "The one thing with both of those schools was that I had great relationships with both of the coaches (Seth Littrell of North Carolina and Chad Wilt of Maryland) that were recruiting me. I really enjoyed both of the campuses, schools and football teams."

In his first season in Chapel Hill, Littrell helped North Carolina establish several school records, including most passing yards, most passing touchdowns and most first downs. He coaches tight ends and serves as offensive coordinator.

"So what does that mean?" Turner said. "He's going to get the ball to his guys. That's something that really caught my eye. I know he's going to utilize me the way I want to be utilized on offense."

Turner caught 13 passes, including 4 for touchdowns, for Carmel last season. He established himself as a big-play threat, averaging 27.6 yards per reception. And while tight ends for the Corsairs generally aren't targeted, Turner isn't the first player at that position from his school to be recruited by a Division I program.

The Baucus brothers, Jack and Mickey, both played at the University of Arizona. Turner was looking forward to the first day of Carmel's football camp Monday because Jack Baucus was going to be there.

"He's coming back to help coach me," said Turner, adding that his family and the Baucus family know each other.

Turner, the youngest of three children of Tracy and Katie, comes from an athletic family. His grandfather (mother's side) played football and basketball at Purdue, while an uncle played football at Indiana. His sister, Hannah, played volleyball at St. Ambrose. His brother, Ben, played football at Carmel and is now a student equipment manager for the Louisville football team.

"The campus is unreal," Turner said. "The academics there are unbelievable as well."

  Tight end Noah Turner of Carmel High School football. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
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