CHARLOTTE — Former Lumberton High standout and four-star wide receiver Marquez North verbally committed to Tennessee on Wednesday night during an in-home visit with Vols assistant coach Jay Graham, announcing the news nationwide via Twitter.

North eliminated reported front-runner North Carolina from his list of finalists earlier that evening, ultimately going with a Southeastern Conference program that recently hired Butch Jones as its next head coach after a 5-7 season.

North is expected to sign a binding letter of intent on Feb. 6 at 9 a.m. during a special National Signing Day event with a handful of other Mallard Creek teammates who will also be announcing their college choices. North is considered one of the state's elite prospects and is nationally-ranked in the top 10 among wide receivers by several recruiting outlets.

At Mallard Creek, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound playmaker blossomed into a weapon on the outside and in the return game following two memorable seasons under Mike Brill at Lumberton. After accumulating 30 touchdowns in eight games as a freshman on the junior varsity, North helped the Pirates to an 8-4 record as a sophomore with a 22-touchdown, 1,600-yard campaign as the quarterback of Lumberton's modified Shot-T attack.

Scouts like his speed (4.48) and pass-catching ability down the field. The addition of North to Jones' first haul at Tennessee vaulted the Vols 10 spots into 247Sports' Top 25 for 2013 recruiting classes.