Alex Murphy, one of the most skilled forwards in the Class of 2012, has committed to Duke, St. Mark’s School (Southborough, Mass.) coach David Lubick confirmed by e-mail.

Murphy is 6-foot-8 with strong ball handling and perimeter shooting skills. He is rated the No. 9 player overall in his class by veteran All-Star Sports analyst Bob Gibbons.

"It’s really almost a seamless fit in terms of Duke’s style of play and his skill set," said ESPN recruiting analyst Dave Telep. "He is a small forward with really good size, solid ball skills, a better athlete than first glance. And I think this is a guy that can play in the lane and on the perimeter."

On the morning after national signing day today, outside linebacker Shareef Rashad called coach Butch Davis to get North Carolina's 2012 recruiting class started.

Rashad, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound outside linebacker from Episcopal High in Jacksonville, Fla., committed to the Tar Heels during the phone call.

He had visited the school unofficially last summer.

CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina coach Butch Davis stood in front of the podium this afternoon with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Today was a very good day," Davis said at his news conference to announce the Tar Heels' 2011 class on national signing day.

Rivals.com has ranked North Carolina's class No. 3 in the ACC. The Tar Heels signed 10 players on offense, 14 on defense and kicker/punter Miller Snyder of Charlotte.

The Tar Heels got a big signing day commitment from McKeesport (Pa.) defensive tackle Delvon Simmons, who's rated the No. 80 player in the class by rivals.com.

North Carolina, which earlier in the day picked up rivals.com's No. 80 prospect nationally in defensive tackle Delvon Simmons, missed out on another top linebacker target this afternoon.

Curtis Grant of Richmond, Va., who had been considering the Tar Heels, committed to Ohio State, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Despite losing Grant, the addition of Simmons earlier in the day should ensure that North Carolina signs a top-20 class.

Bobby Mintz and Noelle Beasley will be the only Cary Christian athletes signing today.

McKeesport (Pa.) defensive tackle Delvon Simmons, who's rated the No. 80 player overall in the nation by rivals.com, gave North Carolina's recruiting class a huge boost with his commitment Wednesday on national signing day.

Here's what McKeesport coach Jim Ward said about Simmons in a telephone interview:

Q: Why did he choose UNC?

Stephone Anthony, who entered the day as the top uncommitted prospect in North Carolina, added to an outstanding Clemson recruiting class late this morning when he signed with the Tigers.

Anthony, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker from Anson County High in Wadesboro, N.C., also was considering North Carolina, Florida and Virginia Tech. He is rated the No. 2 player in North Carolina by The Charlotte Observer.

Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney entered the day with a top-25 class, and added five-star linebackers in Anthony and Tony Steward of Jacksonville, Fla., who had also been considering Florida State. 

Scout.com recruiting analyst Miller Safrit said the signing of McKeesport (Pa.) High defensive lineman Delvon Simmons, announced minutes ago, is an impressive accomplishment for North Carolina's coaching staff.

Scout.com is among the outlets reporting Simmons' commitment.

"It definitely puts a big stamp of approval, a big cherry on top of the class for this North Carolina class that a lot of people were wondering about," Safrit said.

According to the Florida Times-Union's live signing day blog, Raines High in Jacksonville, Fla., has news for North Carolina and N.C. State fans.

Sam Smiley, a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback at Raines, has committed to North Carolina. He's rated a two-star prospect by scout.com.

Chris Jones, a defensive tackle who committed to N.C. State last week, will not sign with the Wolfpack, according to the Times-Union. He will sign with Illinois.

A flurry of early-morning letters of intent have hit the fax machines at North Carolina and N.C. State, and so far the only surprises are a pair of two-star linebackers.

North Carolina added Keeon Virgile of North Miami Beach, and N.C. State signed Michael Peek of Loganville, Ga.

There’s still more drama to come on signing day, but here’s an early look at the letters of intent received by North Carolina and N.C. State, as reported by the schools’ official websites: