ROCKINGHAM — The first of many hopeful college football offers has crossed the desk of Richmond Senior High School’s Caleb Hood.
The rising junior Raider quarterback announced Wednesday evening via his Twitter account that he’d received an offer from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and head coach Mack Brown.
“Blessed to receive an offer from the University of North Carolina!!!” Hood’s tweet read, along with a ram and blue heart emoji. In the 15 hours since he’s posted it, the tweet has been retweeted 82 times and liked over 525 times.
Several teammates and classmates, Raider head football coach Bryan Till, Richmond’s principal Jim Butler and and a handful of coaches and players from around the region congratulated Hood on social media.
“I have always dreamed of getting an offer from an ACC school,” Hood commented. “But for it to be UNC, a school that I’ve grown up watching and cheering for, it’s definitely a dream come true.
“My relationship with UNC started a long time ago, but I didn’t sense an offer coming any time soon,” he added. “So, it was kind of a surprise. But it’s nice to see all of my hard work paying off.”
Two weeks ago, Hood competed in The Opening’s annual regional combine in Charlotte, and posted the highest marks among quarterbacks with a 117.51. That, along with his play on the field the last two seasons under center, is what caught the eye of the Tar Heels’ football program.
The offer from Brown and company is not only an accomplishment for the 6-0, 204-pound quarterback, but it also creates the opportunity for Hood to play on the same field at Kenan Memorial Stadium that his father, Errol Hood, played on.
Errol, who played cornerback, was a three-year starter for the Tar Heels. Playing in the 1998-2001 seasons, Errol Hood led UNC in interceptions during the 1999 and 2000 campaigns (seven total).
He also helped secure the Tar Heels’ 16-10 win over Auburn University in the 2001 Peach Bowl, breaking up a pass and snagging his final collegiate interception.
“It’s pretty cool,” Hood noted of receiving an offer from his dad’s alma mater. “I’ve always been a Carolina fan and wanted to get an offer from them. My brother, Kellan, and I have always tried to compare ourselves to our dad. So it’s cool to get an offer from where he played.”
In 2018, Hood’s sophomore season, he led the Raiders to their first conference championship in eight years. Richmond posted an 11-2 overall record, swept its competition in the Sandhills Athletic Conference, and earned a No. 2 seed in the 4AA state playoffs.
Although the Raiders would fall to No. 6 Myers Park High School in the third round, Hood’s season was nothing short of impressive. In 13 games, he completed 129 passes for 1,956 yards, while tossing a career-high 21 touchdowns.
Hood averaged 150.5 passing yards per game, but developed into more of a dual-threat quarterback. Using his speed and innate football IQ, Hood collected a career-high 594 rushing yards, while also crossing into the end zone five more times on the ground.
In his two-year high school career, Hood has compiled 262 completions on 432 pass attempts for a 60.6 percent completion percentage. He’s added 4,051 yards through the air, connected on 37 total passing scores, and has racked up 11 rushing touchdowns on 869 yards.
Hood was also named to the All-SAC team following both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
According to 247Sports.com, Hood joins a list of six other class of 2021 quarterback prospects who have already received an offer from UNC. That list includes Myers Park’s Drake Maye, who led the Mustangs past the Raiders in the 2018 playoffs.
Brown was hired in November for his second stint as the Tar Heels’ coach, having spent 10 seasons at the helm from 1988-1997. He’s looking to resurrect a UNC program that went 2-9 in 2018, its third two-win season since Brown left.
With still two full seasons of high school football ahead of him, and official spring practices starting on Monday, Hood isn’t looking too far ahead just yet.
“I don’t really want to change anything,” Hood said. “I don’t play football for the offers, I play because I love the game of football. And I want to be the best version of myself I can be.
“Granted, everyone wants to get offers and interest from colleges,” he closed. “But that’s not my main focus right now. I’m just trying to get better every day and be the best teammate and student I can be.”
Hood will visit Appalachian State University on Saturday, attend a quarterback camp at Duke University on June 2, and head to Clemson University on June 5.
