Surrounded by his family, Richmond’s Caleb Hood signs his letter-of-intent for UNC on Wednesday during Early Signing Day.
                                 Neel Madhavan | Daily Journal

Surrounded by his family, Richmond’s Caleb Hood signs his letter-of-intent for UNC on Wednesday during Early Signing Day.

Neel Madhavan | Daily Journal

ROCKINGHAM — Richmond Senior High School quarterback Caleb Hood announced on Twitter Friday evening that he plans to enroll early at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Hood signed his official letter-of-intent on Early Signing Day Wednesday after first committing to the Tar Heels after his junior season on Jan. 19. His decision means he will forego his upcoming senior season in February to graduate from Richmond this month and enroll at UNC in January 2021.

“It took awhile with everything that was going on,” Hood said. “I just kind of waited for my senior year to be over. I just wanted to not think about it and live a normal senior year. I kind of just imagined myself in both places. I talked to my family, and I felt like that was the best decision for me.”

Enrolling early will allow Hood to participate in the Tar Heels’ spring practice and summer conditioning ahead of fall camp before the start of the 2021 season.

“We completely understand this decision and I know it was very hard for Caleb,” said head coach Bryan Till. “He loves the Raiders but had to take his time and consider what he thought was best for his future. We are extremely proud of him. This was really tough.”

Till said he had many conversations with Hood and tried to be a sounding board for him while he worked through his decision. Hood added that he told Till and his other Raider coaches that he wanted to compete and prove to the players and staff at UNC that he was going to compete with them and work.

“I gave him questions to ask himself so he could find the answer that he thought was right,” Till said. “I know he spoke with coach (Jay) Jones, (Brad) Denson and (Andy) Shuler, also. We wanted him to know we cared about him first and foremost.”

UNC runs deep in Hood’s family. His father was a three-year starter at cornerback for the Tar Heels from 1999-2001.

“It’s a dream come true,” Hood said. “Growing up, going to the games and everything — now we’re just realizing that it’s less than a month away till I’m actually there. It’s surreal, it’s crazy to think about. I’m super excited, and I can’t wait to get up there.”

In 14 games during the 2019 season, Hood passed for 2,175 yards and 21 touchdowns and had 976 yards and 16 touchdowns in 111 carries on the ground in leading the Raiders to a 13-1 record, a Sandhills Athletic Conference title and a trip to the semifinals of the state playoffs.

Hood’s departure means Till will be looking for a new starting quarterback for this season. Till said Hood’s brother, Kellan, has been the team’s backup and he feels confident that Kellan can step up and handle the job.

“We will also continue to get Emoni McBride and Emmanuel Gilliam ready,” Till said.

Caleb said his brother has been behind him his whole life, and now he feels like it’s his turn to take over and lead the Raiders.

“I just want to give him his opportunity,” Caleb said. “I know he’s going to step up and give it all he has.”

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Reach Neel Madhavan at 910-817-2671 ext. 2751 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at @NeelMadhavan.