Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball Recruiting

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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UNC basketball to visit 5-star Class of 2026 target after AJ Dybantsa miss

Can UNC land its first Class of 2026 basketball commitment on Wednesday?

The North Carolina Tar Heels failed to land a commitment from AJ Dybantsa, the Class of 2025’s top-ranked player, but that isn’t stopping them from continuing along the recruiting trail.

UNC’s next focus now appears to be on the 2026 recruiting class, with an upcoming visit for one of the class’ top players.

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, North Carolina announced that it will pay 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. a visit.

Rippey, a junior who plays his high school basketball at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, is the Class of 2026’s 21st-ranked player. Rippey is also the country’s fifth-ranked point guard, plus the top-ranked player in New Jersey.

UNC won’t be the only program in attendance Wednesday, as ACC rival Syracuse announced its plan to visit Rippey.

If the Tar Heels offer Rippey after their visit, he’ll be their seventh. North Carolina has already offered six other 5-star recruits: power forward Tyran Stokes, small forwards Cameron Holmes, Caleb Holt and in-state talent Cole Cloer, shooting guard Jordan Smith and power forward Miikka Muurinen.

UNC showed its ability to land top-end talent in its 2024 recruiting class, with 5-star McDonalds All-Americans Drake Powell and Ian Jackson choosing to play their college ball in Chapel Hill. High school standouts still want to become Tar Heels, but in today’s NIL era, money is seemingly more important to them.

When Hubert Davis is up in New Jersey visiting Rippey, he needs to find a way to convince Rippey that North Carolina is still a highly-sought-after college basketball destination.

UNC has the championships, NCAA Tournament appearances and tradition that some of these other programs – in this case, BYU – doesn’t have. Other programs might be able to offer high schoolers more money, only for those players to transfer or turn pro after one year.

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Former UNC basketball target Jarin Stevenson returns home with Alabama

Jarin Stevenson grew up in Chapel Hill, but now plays his college basketball at Alabama.

One of the most highly-touted high school basketball prospects in recent years, Jarin Stevenson, grew up in Chapel Hill and played his high school basketball just down the road in Pittsboro.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were all over Stevenson in the recruiting process, hoping to add yet another homegrown talent to their roster. UNC was one of nine schools recruiting Stevenson, but more importantly, one of three finalists.

Stevenson ended up choosing Alabama in the end – and nine games into his sophomore season, Stevenson made his long-awaited return to Chapel Hill.

After the Crimson Tide dominated North Carolina on Wednesday, 94-79, Stevenson spoke briefly about what it meant to play – against the team he grew up cheering for.

“Tonight was definitely a surreal feeling,” Stevenson said. “I’ve been to quite a bit of their (UNC) games. My mom (Nicole (Walker) Stevenson) played here too. It’s nice being back and it’s always great to get a win.”

Jarin played 16 minutes in his 10th career start, scoring six points on a pair of 3-pointers. Stevenson grabbed three rebounds, dished out one assist and blocked one shot.

Stevenson was part of an extremely tall Alabama starting lineup, with himself, Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi all standing 6’11”. The Tar Heels struggled to get into any sort of shooting rhythm against the Crimson Tide’s tall defense, particularly from deep, where the Tar Heels shot just 5-of-28.

Whenever a North Carolina target like Stevenson chooses elsewhere, it always makes me wonder “what if?” Would UNC be that much better if Stevenson was on the roster? Does Stevenson ever wish he stayed a Tar Heel?

It was odd seeing Stevenson in an Alabama uniform, but I’m glad the hometown kid enjoyed his return to Chapel Hill.

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UNC pays class of 2026 5-star recruit a recent visit

UNC visited Class of 2026 5-star power forward Miikka Muurinen in the past week. Power forward is a massive need for the Tar Heels in two seasons.

The North Carolina Tar Heels have never shied away from a basketball recruiting challenge, even when it means other Blue Bloods are chasing the same recruit.

UNC’s efforts on the recruiting trail have paid major dividends recently. North Carolina brought in a pair of electric 5-star freshmen, Drake Powell and Ian Jackson, to its current roster. The Tar Heels recently landed their first Class of 2025 commitment, snagging 4-star combo guard Derek Dixon.

UNC is already getting a headstart on the 2026 recruiting trail – and that includes a recent visit to see 5-star power forward Miikka Muurinen, the 6’10” Finnish phenom who plays his prep ball for Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz.

According to Tar Heel Times, Muurinen is one of North Carolina’s seven Class of 2026 offers.

The Tar Heels have also offered 5-star power forward Tyran Stokes, 5-star small forwards Cameron Holmes, Caleb Holt and Cole Cloer, 5-star shooting guard Jordan Smith and 4-star power forward Kendre Harrison.

Looking ahead at UNC’s roster over the next two season, Muurinen is a massive need.

Tyzhaun Claude and Jae’Lyn Withers, both power forwards who can play at center if needed, are entering their final season of college basketball. Ven-Allen Lubin and Jalen Washington, both centers who can also play the four if needed, are juniors and will be gone in two years.

Sure, North Carolina can nab a big man or two in the transfer portal, but there wasn’t much luck with that this past offseason. The Tar Heels were linked to several top-line transfers, most notably Oumar Ballo and Coleman Hawkins, but both chose other destinations.

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UNC basketball program chasing a top guard in 2026 recruiting class

Deron Rippey Jr. is a Class of 2026 basketball recruit to keep your eye on. Why should UNC send an offer his way?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are going to have a guard-heavy basketball team this year.

Reigning ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis returns to lead the deep guard group. Joining Davis will be sophomore Elliot Cadeau, defensive stalwart Seth Trimble and 5-star freshman Ian Jackson. If you look at UNC’s official roster, there’s nine players with guard eligibility.

With North Carolina expected to depart most of its guard core after the coming season, it needs to start preparing for the following two college basketball season.

That preparation includes the Tar Heels looking at Class of 2026 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., the 247Sports Composite’s 21st-ranked player nationally, 4th-ranked point guard and top-ranked New Jersey recruit.

Check out Phenom Hoops’ extensive write-up on Rippey, who is also getting looks from – amongst others – Washington, Rutgers, Texas A&M and Michigan.

“When talking about his game, Rippey is one that immediately grabs your attention,” Phenom Hoops’ Patrick O’Brien wrote. “The 6’2 point guard knows how to run the show and do so effectively, displaying an excellent feel, court awareness, and playmaking with the ball in his hands. Rippey is so shifty yet strong on the court, to go along with impressive athleticism as a guard. He creates well with the ball in his hands, and excels in transition, but also shows poise within the halfcourt offense. Rippey thrived as a scorer on several occasions, finishing strong through and around defenders, getting paint touches consistently, but also doing a great job in being a 3-level scorer.  Rippey is someone you simply want to have the ball in his hands, and he will make things happen no matter what is needed.  And though he is already regarded as a top guard in his class, he backed that up on the national stage and showed why he is one of the elite guards in the country no matter what class.”

If UNC decides to offer Rippey, he’d be the program’s eighth Class of 2026 offer. North Carolina has yet to offer a 2026 point guard, so why not make a player of Rippey’s caliber its first?

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Indiana coach Mike Woodson visiting one of UNC’s top targets

Braylon Mullins, a UNC basketball recruiting target and one of the Class of 2025’s top players, is getting a timely visit from one of his three finalists.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are extremely close to landing their first 5-star basketball recruit in the Class of 2025, with shooting guard Braylon Mullins naming UNC one of his three finalists.

Mullins is deciding between North Carolina, back-to-back National Champion UConn, and Indiana, which has five NCAA Titles under its name. As you can imagine, each program is throwing everything it has in trying to land the talented guard.

Today, it’s Indiana’s turn to try its hand at landing Mullins, with head coach Mike Woodson visiting the in-state guard.

The visit is key as it’s likely the last for Mullins as he mulls a decision soon via Peegs.com:

There is a strong chance Indiana’s Tuesday visit is the final in-home visit for Mullins. He plans to give himself some time to take a breath, think things over, talk things over with his family and then figure out his decision. He would like to have a decision made in October.

If the Hoosiers are successful, Mullins would be their second Class of 2025 commitment behind Trent Sisley.

With RJ Davis exhausting his eligibility after this coming season, plus possibly the Ian Jackson-Drake Powell duo leaving for the NBA, North Carolina’s need to land Mullins is paramount. Seth Trimble will likely return, but Elliot Cadeau has also expressed interest in turning pro early.

If the Tar Heels are able to add Mullins, they’d be getting an extreme scoring punch. Mullins averaged 25 points per game as a junior for Greenfield-Central High School last season, his highest season career average, leading his team to a state championship appearance.

With Mullins previously citing he wants to make a decision this month, let’s hope that decision in UNC.

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UNC 4-star football recruiting target chooses Virginia Tech over the weekend

A UNC dual-sport recruiting target chose Virginia Tech over the weekend. This doesn’t affect the Tar Heels as much as you may think.

It’s not uncommon to see student-athletes play multiple sports in high school, but it’s rare to see the same in college.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were lucky to have a legendary 2-sport athlete in Julius Peppers, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played both football and basketball. UNC currently has Kaleb Cost, who’s a defensive back on the football squad and outfielder for the baseball program.

North Carolina was also linked to another 2-sport athlete in the class of 2025, Shamarius Peterkin, the 6’2″ wide receiver who plays basketball and football for Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, NC.

Peterkin listed the Tar Heels, NC State and Virginia Tech as his three recruiting finalists. Peterkin also made a decision over the weekend – and sadly, it doesn’t include UNC.

On Friday, Aug. 16, Peterkin committed to the Hokies in the recruiting portal. This came as a surprise to many, who thought Peterkin would stay in-state for his next chapter.

North Carolina’s men’s basketball program wasn’t going to allow Peterkin to play both basketball and football, but Virginia Tech was, a major factor into his decision.

Peterkin’s out-of-state commitment isn’t a huge loss for North Carolina, who already has 14 Class of 2025 commits, including one from 3-star wide receiver Evan Haynes. If Peterkin had committed to UNC, though, he’d mark the Tar Heels’ fourth 4-star commit.

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Big UNC basketball recruiting target visits ACC programs

A top UNC basketball recruiting target has taken visits to ACC foes this past week.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are hoping to eventually land a commitment from four-star combo guard Acaden Lewis, a prospect they have made a priority in the 2025 class. But they have some tough competition to land him.

That includes some Atlantic Coast Conference foes.

Lewis cut his list of 29 offers down to eight programs as he is focusing on North Carolina, Kentucky, UConn, Tennesee, Duke, Michigan, Auburn, and Syracuse. That’s a good list with some tough competition for UNC but the Tar Heels will get their chance to impress with a visit. However, in August Lewis has now visited two ACC programs as he was on Syracuse and Duke’s campus last week.

The talented recruit visited Syracuse on August 2nd then took a trip to Duke on August 5th:

As for North Carolina, Lewis was on campus in May for an unofficial visit and will be back for not one but two visits this fall. That’s huge for Davis and the Tar Heels, getting the chance to impress the talented recruit multiple times.

Lewis could be a key piece to UNC’s 2025 class if they can land him as they have yet to earn a commitment in the recruiting class.

 

Kentucky enters race for new UNC basketball target

Caleb Holt now holds an offer from the Kentucky Wildcats.

The North Carolina Tar Heels recently offered 2026 prospect Caleb Holt, adding him to their recruiting board last week.

The small forward is among the top prospects overall in the 2026 class and will be a priority for many programs, including UNC. But now, another blueblood program is getting involved as well.

Kentucky became the latest program to offer Holt, joining the recruitment and upping their pursuit of him. Holt took to Twitter to announce that he had received an offer from Kentucky.

They join Duke, North Carolina, Alabama, Kansas, Auburn, and Tennessee among the programs that have officially offered him so far.

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Holt is ranked No. 3 nationally, the No. 1 small forward and No. 1 player in the state of Georgia per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.  He holds a total of 16 offers in his recruitment with more likely on the way.

Holt is one of five players to hold an offer from Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels in the 2026 class. UNC has yet to land a recruit in either the 2025 or 2026 class so far.

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UNC basketball offers 7-foot prospect in 2025 recruiting class

Will the UNC basketball program land a commitment from a big 7-foot recruiting target? They officially offered him on Sunday.

Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels’ basketball program are officially in the running for a big prospect in the 2025 recruiting class.

On Sunday, the Tar Heels officially offered 7-foot prospect Eric Reibe to end a big month of June in terms of recruiting offers for the program. Reibe is the latest prospect to earn an offer from North Carolina in the 2025 class.

A Maryland native, Reibe currently plays at The Bullis School and has a total of 36 offers in his recruitment. In addition to UNC, programs like Oregon, Ohio State, UConn, Kansas, Kentucky, Purdue, and Michigan among others have offered him so far.

He’s only set one official visit so far for the Fall as he’s going to Oregon’s campus the weekend of October 2nd.

Reibe is ranked No. 47 nationally, the No. 13 center and the No. 1 player in the state of Maryland per the 247Sports recruiting rankings. As of now, there’s one crystal ball prediction for Reibe with Maryland reporter Jeff Ermann logging one on Monday.

However, there is still a long ways to go before his recruitment is over and with UNC offering, it could change things for the recruit.

UNC now has 14 offers out to prospects in the 2025 recruiting class as the program is seeking its first commitment for the cyle.

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