Tag: Caleb Wilson

UNC basketball has just two Class of 2025 targets left after AJ Dybantsa’s BYU commitment

AJ Dybantsa’s commitment leaves the UNC basketball 2025 recruiting class ultra-thin.

The North Carolina Tar Heels only have two basketball stars locked up in their 2025 recruiting class – and just two targets remaining.

UNC lost its greatest target on Tuesday, Dec. 10, when the Class of 2025’s top-ranked player in AJ Dybantsa chose BYU.

Dybantsa currently plays his high school ball at Utah Prep, so I can understand his choice if location was a factor, but there are rumors Dybantsa also chose a $7 million NIL bag.

With Dybantsa now gone, North Carolina now needs to focus all its 2025 recruiting attention on Caleb Wilson, a 5-star power forward from Atlanta, Ga.

Wilson, who plays his high school ball at Holy Innocents Episcopal School, is the Class of 2025’s fifth-ranked player. Wilson is the nation’s third-ranked power forward, plus Georgia’s top overall player.

The Tar Heels already have commitments from 4-star combo guards Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon, but they have yet to land a 5-star.

UNC hasn’t totally bombed in Class of 2025 recruiting, but it has lost out on two of its greatest targets. In addition to losing out on Dybantsa, North Carolina previously watched Jasper Johnson commit to Kentucky.

If the Tar Heels’ original 2025 class was based on offers alone, they’d have one of the nation’s best, but sadly, we are in a recruiting era where kids are choosing money over tradition.

I can’t blame recruits for chasing a bag, as they’ll be setting themselves (and their families) up for a better future. NIL is helping less-established programs lure in top-recruits, such as BYU with Dybantsa, but it’s also turning college sports more professional.

If UNC lands Wilson and Nate Ament, UNC’s other Class of 2025 target, its Dybantsa miss matters a lot less. If Wilson – and/or Ament – choose elsewhere, Hubert Davis will have to seriously reconsider his recruiting efforts.

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Caleb Wilson is down to five schools, including Kentucky

Kentucky basketball is in the final five for 2025 forward Caleb Wilson.

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope has done a very nice job so far in recruiting for the 2025 class. He landed Malachi Moreno early on, followed by Jasper Johnson. More recently he added point guard Acaden Lewis to the group. He’d love to add forward Caleb Wilson to the list as well.

Earlier this week, Wilson narrowed his choices down to five schools, per On3’s Joe Tipton, and Kentucky was among the five. North Carolina, Ohio State, Central Florida, and the Tennessee Volunteers are the other four.

Related: Five things we learned from the win over Lipscomb

Wilson is a 6’9″, 205 lb forward out of Georgia. He is currently ranked as the number eight overall player in the 2025 class by 247 sports, and he’s rated five stars.

Pope has heavily recruited Wilson, and would love to add him to an already very good class. Many people think the Wildcats are the favorite, especially after Lewis committed. Time will tell, and Wilson is expected to make a decision in December or January. Fans will stay tuned until then.

A big Kentucky recruiting target cancels his visit with an SEC rival

Kentucky recruiting target Caleb Wilson canceled a visit with Arkansas on Thursday.

When Kentucky basketball recently earned a commitment from guard Acaden Lewis, many thought the forward Caleb Wilson would follow. A decision hasn’t been made yet, but the Wildcats may have gotten a bit of good news on that front.

Wilson was scheduled to take a visit with John Calipari and Arkansas this weekend. However, on Thursday, 247sports analyst Travis Branham posted that the visit would no longer take place, and won’t be rescheduled.

Related: Five things learned in the win over Duke

Some will certainly take that as a positive for Kentucky. It could be a sign that he’s close to choosing the Wildcats. However, it’s important to note that it could be related to something completely different. It’s also noteworthy that Wilson was in attendance for Kentucky’s big win over the Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday.

Wilson is a 6’9″ forward out of Georgia. He is currently ranked as the number eight overall player by 247sports, and is rated five stars. He has offers from teams like the Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and North Carolina Tarheels as well.

Top UNC basketball recruiting target to attend blue blood battle

A top UNC basketball recruit will be in attendance for the Kentucky and Duke game.

Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels have two commitments in their 2025 class so far and are hoping to add to that total before the class is all wrapped up.

One target that North Carolina has high on their big board is five-star forward Caleb Wilson. The Atlanta native is one of the best players overall in the 2025 class and has some top programs after him, including the Tar Heels.

But North Carolina’s toughest competition just might be the Kentucky Wildcats, led by new head coach Mark Pope. while Wilson hasn’t really hinted at a leader yet, many do believe the Wildcats are the team to beat.

And on Tuesday, Wilson will be in the arena for Kentucky’s showdown against Duke he told Kentucky Sports Radio:

“Yeah, I’m definitely going to be there. I’m definitely going to show my face. I feel like it should be a great game, and I really want Kentucky to win and pull it out and I feel like they can do it.”

Wilson lives in the Atlanta area, so it does make sense for him to attend the showdown as part of the Champion’s Classic. However, it’s another opportunity for the Wildcats to impress Wilson which isn’t good for UNC.

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Caleb Wilson is reportedly down to Kentucky and North Carolina

Class of 2025 forward Caleb Wilson might be down to either North Carolina or Kentucky basketball.

Kentucky basketball is the favorite to land 2025 guard Acaden Lewis, and have been recruiting a couple of highly rated big men to go along with him. One of them, Caleb Wilson, might be getting close to being a Wildcat.

Rivals analyst Rob Cassidy discussed several members of the 2025 class that haven’t committed yet. Here’s what he had to say about Wilson:

A Georgia-based star, Wilson appears to be trending toward Big Blue Nation, but the Tar Heels don’t seem interested in waving the white flag just yet. Wilson last toured Chapel Hill in early October for a one-day unofficial visit, which seems to have done little to create separation for Hubert Davis’ program.

Related: Kentucky offers 2026 recruit Anthony Thompson

He also added:

No decision date has been set just yet, but there’s some confidence starting to radiate from the Kentucky side.

Wilson is a five-star power forward in the 2025 class, and is ranked as the number eight overall player by 247sports.

Coach Mark Pope has already landed a couple of gifted players in Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson. Lewis would give them a talented point guard. Also landing Wilson would give the Wildcats a foursome that would almost assuredly be one of the top classes in the country.

Caleb Wilson’s father comments on recent visit to Chapel Hill

Caleb Wilson, a five-star recruit, and his father spoke very highly of his visit to UNC and outlook on the program.

As he winds down his recruitment, the No. 5 ranked player in the country in the Class of 2025 visited UNC basketball and Chapel Hill. Caleb Wilson, the 6-foot-9 stretch post, was there for just one day.

Wilson is a five-star recruit with a 247sports composite score of .9982 which would make him the fifth-highest-ranked recruit in UNC basketball history.

Caleb Wilson’s father had some impressive and heartfelt comments on his visit to the campus at Chapel Hill with his son, via Adam Zagoria.

The visit was short and sweet; we were there on Saturday only. That campus is just picturesque. We got to ask some tough questions of the coaches and players, then see them live in action at practice. It was impressive, and the pace and energy were thrilling. We received all the answers needed from the visit.

Jerry Wilson went on to tell ZagsBlog on the message that UNC’s head coach gave Caleb and his family.

The message is that Caleb is wanted and needed here, so come be a part of this special place. He would be a vital part of the team next year. Allow the next chapter of your story to be on the biggest and brightest stage in college basketball. In the words of Coach [Hubert] Davis, at this level, you’re deciding on good vs good. You just have to figure out what’s best for you. Coach believes UNC fits that role best for Caleb.

North Carolina needs a guard like Wilson heading into next year with only Derek Dixon currently committed to the program. For now, we patiently await his decision.

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UNC basketball makes in-home visit for top recruiting target

The UNC basketball program visited a big recruiting target this week.

The open recruiting period is back as college basketball coaches are allowed to contact and visit recruits this fall and Hubert Davis and his staff at North Carolina wasted no time.

The Tar Heels were on the road this week visiting a few recruits that they have their eyes on in the 2025 class. Among them was five-star recruit Caleb Wilson.

North Carolina sent head coach Hubert Davis and assistant coach Brad Frederick to visit Wilson this week. The talented recruit out of Atlanta, Georgia posted a photo of UNC’s visit on his X page, announcing that the Tar Heels were there.

Wilson has been a big target for North Carolina in the 2025 class and while things have been quiet in his recruitment, it appears as if the Tar Heels are in a good spot for him.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Wilson is ranked No. 6 nationally, the No. 3 power forward, and No. 1 player in the state of Georgia per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

North Carolina wasn’t the only program in to see Wilson as the open period is back. Both Kentucky and BYU also visited Wilson this week, hoping to amp up their pursuit of him moving forward. He will take an official visit to Alabama this weekend and follow it up with a visit to Kentucky the following weekend.

Wilson currently has a top 12 list featuring Arkansas, Duke, North Carolina, Alabama, UCF, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oregon, Ohio State and USC.

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Mark Pope and multiple assistants watch 2025 forward Caleb Wilson

Mark Pope and three of his assistants traveled to Georgia to visit recruit Caleb Wilson.

Caleb Wilson is an elite recruit in the 2025 class, and is a target for coach Mark Pope and Kentucky basketball. On Wednesday, several suitors showed up to visit him at Holy Innocents, his school in Georgia, including Pope. Pope showed up with three of his assistants.

Wilson is 6’9″, 205 lb power forward in the 2025 recruiting class. He is rated five stars by 247sports and is their number six overall ranked player. He’s their number three power forward.

Related: Mark Pope offers a top 2026 recruit
Continue reading “Mark Pope and multiple assistants watch 2025 forward Caleb Wilson”

Five-star forward Caleb Wilson lists Auburn in top 12

The 6-9 power forward is a consensus top five recruit in the 2026 class.

2026 five-star basketball prospect [autotag]Caleb Wilson[/autotag] announced the final 12 schools he will consider attending on Wednesday. Auburn, along with SEC rivals Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee were among them. The 6-foot-9 power forward is a consensus top-five recruit in the 2026 class.

Wilson, who is set to visit Alabama and Kentucky in September, spoke highly of his time on the Plains. The acclaimed high school prospect said his visit to Auburn “was really good.”

Wilson further elaborated on Bruce Pearl’s success with developing forwards, specifically former Auburn star and current Houston Rocket [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag]. “Coach Bruce Pearl develops pros at a high level, especially forwards. I would go watch [Smith] play when I was in middle school. He was a really good player, could catch and shoot at a high level and defend.”

While Wilson has yet to schedule another visit to Auburn, his words certainly should exhibit confidence in ears of Pearl and his staff. The Atlanta, GA native possess a “vast array of offensive moves, at multiple levels” according to scouts. If Bruce Pearl can convince him to come join the Tigers, Wilson could fit into Pearl’s offensive scheme very similarly to the way his aforementioned Auburn idol, Jabari Smith, did during his lone season on the Plains.

Other than the quintet of SEC programs, Wilson’s top 12 consists of Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, UCF, and USC. His commitment decision is not imminent.

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Kentucky basketball makes the top 12 for a top ten 2025 recruit

Kentucky basketball makes the final 12 for top ten 2025 recruit Caleb Wilson.

Kentucky basketball hasn’t been the favorite to land 2025 recruit Caleb Wilson, but they haven’t given up and it has paid off. Wilson has narrowed his list down to 12 schools, and the Wildcats are on it.

Wilson is a 6’9″, 205 lb power forward out of Atlanta, Georgia. He is a five-stare recruit, and ranked as the number six overall player in the class by 247sports. They have him as the third ranked power forward and the top player from the state of Georgia.

Related: List of 2025 Kentucky recruiting targets

An official visit has also been scheduled for Wilson. He’ll come to Lexington on September 13th per On3’s Joe Tipton (subscription required). Coach Mark Pope will use that visit to emphasize how well Wilson would fit his system.

Wilson’s final 12 includes former Wildcats coach John Calipari and Arkansas as well as the usual teams like Duke and North Carolina. Big Blue Nation will be keeping a close eye on this one.