From Ballou to Chapel Hill, Lewter is talk of the town

When Jamar Lewter went down to North Carolina last spring for the Tar Heels' Junior Day, the Ballou tackle was surprised by the reception he got on campus.

"People were coming up to me, like, 'Are you Jamar Lewter from Ballou?'" he recalled. "I was like, 'Yeah.' And then they said, 'Oh, you gotta come here.'

"Then I said to myself, 'That's nice, but I don't know who you are.' I was the talk of the town."

Now, the 6-foot-7, 265-pound tackle will have plenty of time to get to know the folks in Chapel Hill. Lewter orally committed to the Tar Heels Sunday night, choosing to forgo a fall of official visits, which could have included stops at Auburn, Clemson, Illinois, Miami, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, UCLA and USC, all of which have offered him scholarships.

North Carolina was the first school to offer Lewter, doing so last November just before Ballou advanced to the Turkey Bowl, where it lost to H.D. Woodson. He said that was a key factor in his decision.

"They were on me early and [offensive line] coach [Sam] Pittman was calling me every day," Lewter said.

North Carolina already has two other former Ballou players on its roster for this season - senior defensive tackle Marvin Austin, and sophomore defensive back LeCount Fantroy.