The offer list reads like a College Football Playoff bracket — Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oklahoma — but when you check the recruiting rankings?
No stars. No statewide notoriety. No composite rating.
Welcome to the intriguing case of Vermont Carmack, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver from Greensboro’s Dudley High, who may be the most sought-after zero-star – for now – recruit in North Carolina high school football history.
The Class of 2027 prospect has reported 33 Division I offers, including more than a dozen from Power 4 programs, just one day after the contact period for rising juniors officially started.
Yet Carmack remains unranked by 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and On3.
🧩 How Is This Possible?
One big factor: Carmack spent his sophomore season buried behind one of the most stacked high school offenses in the state.
Dudley High went 13-1 in 2024, racking up nearly 8,000 yards of offense and featuring multiple 1,000-yard receivers and rushers before bowing out in the 3A playoffs to West Charlotte. Carmack, then a sophomore, played in five varsity games and logged just one reception for 10 yards. He also recorded 15 tackles and 2 TFLs on defense.
Here’s what he was up against for playing time:
- 🔥 3 Dudley senior receivers who each recorded more than 1,000+ yards in catches – conference MVP CJ Neely (15 TDs), Nasir Newkirk (12 TDs) and Koredell Bartley (10 TDs)
- 💥 Another senior receiver, Antonio Lee, who topped 600+ yards with six more scores
- 💨 2 senior running backs who each rushed for 1,000+ yards – LJ Southern (9 TDs) and Jayden Brown (10 TDs)
- 🎯 Collectively, the upperclassmen-laden team passed for 4,171 yards and 47 TDs and rushed for 3,717 yards and 37 TDs
In April, Carmack posted simply: “Just hold on, I’m coming.”
Now he’s here.
🚀 The Offer List Is Unreal
Despite limited varsity game tape, college coaches clearly see elite physical traits and upside. His growth, his frame (long and lean at 6-4, 175) and his showings in combine/camp settings have triggered a national recruiting surge.
🔥 Notable Offers (Power 4)
- Georgia (5/14 – the announcement is still pinned at the top of his X account)
- Alabama (6/16)
- Ole Miss (6/10)
- Colorado (6/4)
- LSU (6/2)
- Michigan (5/30)
- Wisconsin (5/27)
- Oklahoma (5/16)
- Also, Duke, Auburn, Miami (FL), Arkansas, UCLA, Florida, Missouri, Ohio State, South Carolina, Cincinnati
🏈 Group of Five / FCS / HBCUs
- Appalachian State, Bethune-Cookman, Campbell, James Madison, Howard, Florida Atlantic, FIU, Grambling, Jackson State, Alabama A&M, South Florida, Charlotte, Troy, Marshall, Georgia State
🐫 Don’t Forget Who Believed First
While Carmack’s recent wave of offers has come from national powerhouses, it’s worth noting which schools were first in line.
Campbell University — yep, the Camels from Buies Creek — was the first in-state D1 program to offer Carmack, extending their pitch in mid-December 2024. At the time, the then-sophomore had made just one varsity catch, but Campbell’s staff saw something in his upside and physical tools.
After a great conversation with @CoachEAmoako i’m blessed to receive my first d1 offer from @GoCamelsFB @CALLMEDBEST @AntonioHall336 pic.twitter.com/OFP1ZSiqpg — Vermont carmack (@carmackvermont7) December 11, 2024
Schools like App State and South Florida joined the party in January, but it was Campbell that kicked off the recruiting stampede. Carmack’s first Power 5 offer came from Duke on March 3.
📈 What’s Next?
Carmack may be “unranked” — for now — but that’s expected to change in the weeks and months ahead.
Recruiting services typically wait until a player compiles meaningful varsity tape before assigning a star rating or composite ranking. But when a kid racks up 33 D1 offers without a breakout season, you’re looking at someone who could explode as a junior.
North Carolina has seen stories like this before. Providence Day offensive lineman David Sanders held the No. 1 national ranking for a time as a junior before signing with Tennessee’s 2025 class. Greensboro Grimsley’s Faizon Brandon, a rising senior and Tennessee commit, is considered one of top quarterbacks in the country right now. He’s been in that rarified air since last season.
Carmack likely will be a focal point of a revamped Dudley offense in 2025, and the offers suggest he has the tools to be one of the top wideouts in the Southeast before long.
Dudley will play in the 6A classification in the new NCHSAA realignment. The Panthers will be in a split 6A/7A conference with rivals like Grimsley and Page. Dudley opens the season against powerhouse Cardinal Gibbons from Raleigh on Aug. 22. The Dudley-Grimsley potential blockbuster is set for Oct. 24.
How many stars will Carmack have then?
📊 Vermont Carmack | Class of 2027
🧩 Position: Wide Receiver
📍 Hometown: Greensboro, NC
🎓 High School: Dudley Panthers (13–1 in 2024)
🧢 High School Coach: Steven Davis
📏 Size: 6-4, ~175 pounds
🏅 247 Ranking: Unranked
🎯 Offers: 33 D1 schools as of June 16, including the last five national champions – Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, LSU
📈 2024 Stats: 1 reception, 10 yards (5 games); 15 tackles, 2 TFL (defense)
💭 Quote: “Just hold on, I’m coming.” – via X, April 2025
📌 More 2026 Recruiting Coverage:
- 🔁 NC High School Commitment Tracker – Where top NC prospects are committing (in-state & out-of-state)
- 🎯 NC College Commitment Tracker – Who’s heading to North Carolina college programs (from NC and beyond)
- 📊 NC Class of 2026 Player Rankings – Our composite rankings based on 247Sports, Rivals, On3 & ESPN