Josh McClure didn't have to worry about coercion when it came to his decision.
The Fulton senior was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and moved to Missouri with his family when he was 4 years old. His mother, Luanne, is a University of North Carolina graduate and his father, Jeff, graduated from Western Carolina University.
McClure - a two-time state wrestling champion with the Hornets - will become a Tar Heel after he signed an NCAA Division I letter of intent with North Carolina on Friday. McClure was also recruited by Division I schools Missouri, North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Duke, Virginia and Gardner-Webb.
But for McClure, wearing Carolina blue mattered most.
"I've kind of been a Carolina fan my whole life, so it just so happened that I ended up getting recruited by them - it was kind of weird," McClure said. "... I always pictured wrestling in college and I always wanted to go Division I. I started getting recruited and it was a long process, it was like a year and a half.
"It wears on you, but that's all for a good reason. It's a dream come true, that's for sure."
McClure stressed that his parents didn't try to influence his choice, despite their Carolina roots.
"My mom, she tried to not be biased or anything; she was really good about it," McClure said. "They left it 100 percent in my hands. ... My family's very supportive. Recruiting's tough, it's a grueling process. If you have family that's saying, "Hey, go to Mizzou because they're 10 miles away,' not what you want, it can be hard.
"They were very good about it. They did not swing me in any way. It was all my decision, and I'm thankful for that."
Fulton head coach Eric Hudson was thrilled for McClure, noting that a confluence of factors made his decision an easy one.
"It's great, it's been his goal," Hudson said. "It's even better for him because he's going back to where his mother graduated from and he'll be a third-generation Tar Heel, and I know he's excited about that.
"I know he's excited about the new head coach there at North Carolina, so it's pretty cool that it can kind of all come together for him like that."
The Tar Heels - in their first season under head coach Coleman Scott - are ranked No. 16 in the latest USA Today/NWCA poll. Scott was a bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics in London after capturing an NCAA championship at 133 pounds as a four-time All-American at Oklahoma State.
McClure was certainly in awe when he received his initial recruiting pitch from Scott.
"When I had an Olympic bronze medalist calling me, wanting me - a guy who I looked up to my whole career, I watched all his matches in the Olympics, looked up to him - when I got that call, it's just kind of like, "Whoa!'" McClure said. "It's like one of your idols wants you, so that was a big culture shock."
McClure characterized North Carolina as an "up-and-coming school" as far as its national wrestling profile in an increasingly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. NC State is also ranked No. 12 and Virginia is No. 20.
"All of the ACC schools are on the climb right now, so I'm excited to wrestle in that conference," McClure said. "... I want to be part of something that could win in the future. That'll be fun."
McClure was quick to point out that the academic climate at North Carolina also played an instrumental role in his decision. He plans to pursue a degree in business.
"North Carolina is a great school," McClure said. "I'm not going to make a million dollars off of wrestling, so I wanted to go to a place where I could get a good degree and have something on my resume' that would stand out in the future."
With his signing complete and out of the way, McClure can focus on the quest to complete his high school career with the Hornets as the first three-time state champion in school history. McClure won Class 2 state titles at 138 pounds last season and 113 in 2014, capping off a pair of unbeaten seasons with a phenomenal 74-0 mark during that span.
McClure - who owns a remarkable 108-8 career record - has not lost a high school match since bowing in the state championship match at 106 pounds as a freshman in 2013.
While adding a third state title would be special for McClure, who will be moving up to 145 pounds this season, acquiring a team state championship for Fulton is equally paramount. McClure will be joined by two fellow seniors - Zach Benner and Trenton Clines - as returning state champions who will guide a Hornets squad that was barely edged by Oak Grove for the Class 2 team title last year.
"It would really be awesome if we could win it as a team this year," McClure said. "Obviously, it would be cool if I can win it again, but I really want the team to win it.
"It would be cool if we could kind of end it with a bang."