Ranked as the No. 3 middie and No. 7 overall in the ’25 class, Bair has been on an absolute tear as an attackman for the Crusaders, and from what I hear, there’s a strong chance that’s where he’d play for the Tar Heels. On the road at Bullis last Tuesday, he finished with eight goals, with five of them coming between the closing seconds of the third quarter and the first possession of OT when he collected the ball past the restraining line after the opening face-off and fired it home for a 14-13 walkoff win.

His first two tallies came late in the first quarter when he easily beat his man off the dodge and increased his angle. Just over a minute into the second stanza, Bair picked up a hat trick after Jack Iannantuono (Penn State) beat a pole up top and passed it off to his longtime running mate, who sent an underhand bomb offside hip. An elite shooter both with his feet set and on the run, he’s so good at getting to space consistently and getting shots off before goalies can even get a read. Athletically superior and a fiery competitor, Bair had no trouble getting his hands free and racking up goals in transition on a day when the Crusaders didn’t get their second face-off win of the game until later in the third quarter. While last week’s win was a huge momentum booster heading into Friday’s MIAA opener at McDonogh, the face-off woes continued against the Eagles, who beat St. Paul’s 21-12 while holding Bair to just a goal and an assist.

The first five-star in the Class of 2025 to pick the Heels this fall, Bair earned All-MIAA recognition following a 26-goal, 21-assist sophomore campaign despite suffering a hip injury heading into the Crusaders’ in-league schedule. After a sensational summer in which he was named MVP of the Maverik Showtime All-Star Game and turned heads at every spot, Bair was quite the hot commodity for Big 10 and ACC programs, strongly considering Duke, Virginia, Maryland, Notre Dame, and Penn State before picking Carolina.

At 5’10 and 180 pounds, Bair may not be the biggest, but he makes up for it with his athleticism, aggressiveness, and skill level, along with a high compete level that stands out at all times. He’s savvy and assertive when he’s carrying, yet he doesn’t need the ball to generate offense for his team — he sets great picks, creates scoring opportunities with well-timed cuts, and has a snappy release off the catch. In addition, much can be said about his versatility. There’s no doubt that Bair projects as an offensive midfielder, however, he’s been known to make stops on defense or line up at attack and excel when dodging from below GLE.