2027 Recruiting

[TripleDown]

Never been so happy to be post something wrong. Go Heels! (Nation, you’re up next!)

Her commitment was hard to gauge. However one thing I did notice is that she has the Nigerian flag on her Insta profile. That gave me hope that we had an advantage with Coach Jo and Gabby!

 

[3397char]

Never been so happy to be post something wrong. Go Heels! (Nation, you’re up next!)

Love beating dook for a recruit; hopefully we beat dook for Carter on Monday as well!

On3's Talia Goodman article on Ojo commit:

Top 2027 recruit Micah Ojo commits to UNC

Top 2027 recruit Micah Ojo has committed to North Carolina, she told Rivals. The 6-1 wing from Virginia Beach (Va.) Princess Anne High School chose the

www.on3.com

Oh, and I am happy to say, just turned the first recruit blue on the original post this thread!

 

[3397char]

On paper, the roster is now full for the 2026-27 season.

Any additional commitments will now mean that someone with eligibility remaining will leave UNC at the end of this season. The national average for transfers out is a little over 3 per season and the majority of graduated students transferred out during the COVID 5 year era, so not an actual cause for concern.

 

[DSKiBB8]

Welcome to the Hill, Micah Ojo!

That's so awesome! Hopefully we can still land a couple more big names! I wasn't expecting this lol

 

[3397char]

Manyacka commented on Ojo's commitment in the 1st hour...

 

[kystroup]

Well, Skim Milkey posted a gif of Puke basketball, so I guess Ojo….

I wonder who this was about then

 

[3397char]

Random stat:

UNC has landed the top recruit in Virginia 3 of the last 4 years (2024 Grant, 2025 Brooks, 2027 Ojo.) That is all of the top 50 players from that state in the last 6 recruiting cycles.

In 2026 the top recruit was #84 Rickenbacker who went to ECU; not someone we offered. Same with 2023: #88 Zakiyah Stephenson who went to Ole Miss.

 

[kystroup]

I wonder who this was about then

It was for Ojo. Milkey just made a post about how they were wrong. Perfect outcome

 

[Mtns2Sea]

I took a peek over at the Duke WBB recruiting board and they are not happy over there about today's development....hehehe.

 

[kystroup]

Very interested to see where this class goes from here.

If we get Carter on Monday, do we fall back on Savoury? I’d guess Manyacka is so talented that we’ll run the race for her no matter what.

It seems like a lot of wings to target, but we have the PG position locked down with depth through next year with Kate and Reniya, and CB does a great job of getting impact bigs through the portal.

 

[3397char]

Summary of remaining known 2027 targets

UNC is a named finalist:

• #6 5-11 SG Sydney Savoury: Top 6 are UNC, SoCal, TX, UConn, UCLA and Notre Dame. OV's on 8/26. Does not do much social media, so info coming from occasional interviews. Don't read too much into the lack of buzz here.
• #10 6-2 PF Nation Williams: Top 10 from way back in Feb was UNC, UCLA, Ville, Baylor, MI, WA, UCLA, ND, LSU, & IA. I missed this, but 247's London reported an narrowing to top 5 in July: UNC, IA, UCLA, ND and now dook added. London says she OV'd to IA over the summer and set four more officials. Presumably that included UNC but that info is paywalled. She OV'd to UNC on 9/11 and posted it on her social media. That is the only OV she has posted and I see no indication of any other OVs since then. Is that notable? She too posted Ojo's commitment on her story today also.
• #11 SF Ryan Carter: will chose from her top 5 on Monday Oct 12th at 6:30 PM: UNC, aTm, dook, IN, & ND. She has posted OV info before and after all official visits except dook. Maybe she did not visit dook? Odd. She added Ojo's UNC commitment to her Insta story today. we had the last visit unless she snuck in dook.
• #12 6-2 PF Qandace Samuels: (Not to be confused with sister Qadence Samuels already at NCSU.) Top 10 from Aug was UNC, NCSU, TX, Rutgers, LSU, bama, TN, UVA, Vandy & VT. Has OV'd already to VT, TX, Rutgers & LSU. ESPN reports a Vandy visit also schedule. No indication yet of a visit to the other 5 including UNC. I would consider this one a back burner until a visit happens.
• #52 6-3 PF Sienna Williams: Top 6 are UNC, CO, MI, UT, NB, & IA. OV'd to UNC on 8/26. Has OV'd to all the other finalists except MI since then. We entered late and she has ties to hometown CO.

UNC has received an official visit:

• #2 6-1 SF Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka: UNC OV on 10/2. Has also already visited TX & LSU. No finalist list as of yet. ND, dook, MD & UConn also mentioned to potentially get OV's. someone here said they heard she would announce in the spring.

UNC Has received an unofficial visit:

• #67 6-4 C Marley Spiers: Unofficially visited UNC over a year ago. That may not sound promising, but she has only posted one other UV: tOSU. The Only OV she has posted is to VT. so yeh information on her is really sparse. Die to being outside of the top 50, the recruiting services haven't reached her either for an interview.

Who knows where we stand, but not promising so far:

• #5 6-1 SF Jordyn Palmer: we offered way back in 2023, but there is no indication she has ever visited UNC. recently completed OV's to UCLA, tOSU, and UofSC. ESPN says she will likely make more visits, but no clues as to where. Goodman reports she hopes to visit PSU and MD. She did add Ojo's UNC commitment to her reel today; they were teammates for USA.
• #13 6-0 SG Avery Arije: She stays on the list because she was offered and has not yet set a list of finalists or otherwise eliminated UNC. In this post were were among her 20 top offers. She has set 6 OV's according to ESPN: ND, dook, Cal, PSU, MD and Baylor. She has posted the PSU and MD visits. So far, no mention UNC, so this one seems like a longshot.

 

[3397char]

It was for Ojo. Milkey just made a post about how they were wrong. Perfect outcome

 

[3397char]

Very interested to see where this class goes from here.

If we get Carter on Monday, do we fall back on Savoury? I’d guess Manyacka is so talented that we’ll run the race for her no matter what.

It seems like a lot of wings to target, but we have the PG position locked down with depth through next year with Kate and Reniya, and CB does a great job of getting impact bigs through the portal.

It is hard for me to imagine us ever saying no to a top 15 recruit?

 

[kystroup]

It is hard for me to imagine us ever saying no to a top 15 recruit?

I get it, but with NIL there’s an opportunity cost for everything. If you use a portion of your revenue share on a top 15 recruit that means you have less to use on a transfer. I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules to it but I’m sure CB is focused on allocating resources as efficiently as possible

 

[Jriv23]

That's so awesome! Hopefully we can still land a couple more big names! I wasn't expecting this lol

Me either. I did not see this coming. She is from the same high school that Aziaha James who played at NC State with Saniya Rivers is from. I just looked at the Dallas Wings roster for the 2026 year and they have Deja Kelly being from Oregon. She went to graduate school for one year at Oregon but she got her undergraduate degree from UNC. I am very surprise at this because I don't recall her getting her masters from Oregon. They need to fix this immediately.

 

[Jriv23]

Random stat:

UNC has landed the top recruit in Virginia 3 of the last 4 years (2024 Grant, 2025 Brooks, 2027 Ojo.) That is all of the top 50 players from that state in the last 6 recruiting cycles.

In 2026 the top recruit was #84 Rickenbacker who went to ECU; not someone we offered. Same with 2023: #88 Zakiyah Stephenson who went to Ole Miss.

Out of those 3 players, Ojo is the highest ranked player coming out of VA.

 

[Jriv23]

I took a peek over at the Duke WBB recruiting board and they are not happy over there about today's development....hehehe.

Thanks for letting us know. I do not know why they are being salty. Their women's teams is loaded with talent from last year as well as the year before. They beat us out for two players last year. Oh! well that will have to get over it the same way we had to this past year. Go Heels!

 

[Jriv23]

Very interested to see where this class goes from here.

If we get Carter on Monday, do we fall back on Savoury? I’d guess Manyacka is so talented that we’ll run the race for her no matter what.

It seems like a lot of wings to target, but we have the PG position locked down with depth through next year with Kate and Reniya, and CB does a great job of getting impact bigs through the portal.

Well, it is very hard to say who may leave to go the W. If CC, SB, and RK have a great season this year, all three of them could enter the draft. I just saw that Carter can play both guard positions. If we can land her on this coming Monday along with Manyacka or Ivanna that would be great. We all know one thing for sure. You do not turn down talent if they are interested in coming. UCONN, SC, LSU, Louisville, Duke (now), and USC, and ND are all loaded with talent. Some may say that have too much talent but hey, coaches will found a way to make it work. Look at our Lacrosse, Soccer, and Field Hockey teams right now. Go Heels!

 

[3397char]

I get it, but with NIL there’s an opportunity cost for everything. If you use a portion of your revenue share on a top 15 recruit that means you have less to use on a transfer. I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules to it but I’m sure CB is focused on allocating resources as efficiently as possible

yes, very good point. And to build on that, when Ojo and another have committed to UNC, logically we have to call other recruits with similar roles to tell them that their monetary offer has been used up partially or completely. That should effectively eliminate most of them.

 

[Jriv23]

Summary of remaining known 2027 targets

UNC is a named finalist:

• #6 5-11 SG Sydney Savoury: Top 6 are UNC, SoCal, TX, UConn, UCLA and Notre Dame. OV's on 8/26. Does not do much social media, so info coming from occasional interviews. Don't read too much into the lack of buzz here.
• #10 6-2 PF Nation Williams: Top 10 from way back in Feb was UNC, UCLA, Ville, Baylor, MI, WA, UCLA, ND, LSU, & IA. I missed this, but 247's London reported an narrowing to top 5 in July: UNC, IA, UCLA, ND and now dook added. London says she OV'd to IA over the summer and set four more officials. Presumably that included UNC but that info is paywalled. She OV'd to UNC on 9/11 and posted it on her social media. That is the only OV she has posted and I see no indication of any other OVs since then. Is that notable? She too posted Ojo's commitment on her story today also.
• #11 SF Ryan Carter: will chose from her top 5 on Monday Oct 12th at 6:30 PM: UNC, aTm, dook, IN, & ND. She has posted OV info before and after all official visits except dook. Maybe she did not visit dook? Odd. She added Ojo's UNC commitment to her Insta story today. we had the last visit unless she snuck in dook.
• #12 6-2 PF Qandace Samuels: (Not to be confused with sister Qadence Samuels already at NCSU.) Top 10 from Aug was UNC, NCSU, TX, Rutgers, LSU, bama, TN, UVA, Vandy & VT. Has OV'd already to VT, TX, Rutgers & LSU. ESPN reports a Vandy visit also schedule. No indication yet of a visit to the other 5 including UNC. I would consider this one a back burner until a visit happens.
• #52 6-3 PF Sienna Williams: Top 6 are UNC, CO, MI, UT, NB, & IA. OV'd to UNC on 8/26. Has OV'd to all the other finalists except MI since then. We entered late and she has ties to hometown CO.

UNC has received an official visit:

• #2 6-1 SF Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka: UNC OV on 10/2. Has also already visited TX & LSU. No finalist list as of yet. ND, dook, MD & UConn also mentioned to potentially get OV's. someone here said they heard she would announce in the spring.

UNC Has received an unofficial visit:

• #67 6-4 C Marley Spiers: Unofficially visited UNC over a year ago. That may not sound promising, but she has only posted one other UV: tOSU. The Only OV she has posted is to VT. so yeh information on her is really sparse. Die to being outside of the top 50, the recruiting services haven't reached her either for an interview.

Who knows where we stand, but not promising so far:

• #5 6-1 SF Jordyn Palmer: we offered way back in 2023, but there is no indication she has ever visited UNC. recently completed OV's to UCLA, tOSU, and UofSC. ESPN says she will likely make more visits, but no clues as to where. Goodman reports she hopes to visit PSU and MD. She did add Ojo's UNC commitment to her reel today; they were teammates for USA.
• #13 6-0 SG Avery Arije: She stays on the list because she was offered and has not yet set a list of finalists or otherwise eliminated UNC. In this post were were among her 20 top offers. She has set 6 OV's according to ESPN: ND, dook, Cal, PSU, MD and Baylor. She has posted the PSU and MD visits. So far, no mention UNC, so this one seems like a longshot.

Thanks for sharing and the updates 3397Char. I tell you these recruits today are hard to read. I hope we can get Ryan Carter and one or two of the other players who added Ojo's commitment real to their post.

 

[tarboy]

I think JMO that we take one more unless Wilson Manyacka wants to be a Tar Heel.

 

[TripleDown]

She is from the same high school that Aziaha James who played at NC State with Saniya Rivers is from.

Two things Princess Anne High School is known for - Pharrell Williams and their girls basketball program. That school has been pumping out elite level girls basketball players for the last 25 years. The most notable is Elizabeth Williams who was the HS NPOY in 2011 and went on the play at dook and is currently on the Atlanta Dream roster. The school has won a total of 16 VA State Championships since 2002 and a whopping 12 of the last 13.

I just looked at the Dallas Wings roster for the 2026 year and they have Deja Kelly being from Oregon. She went to graduate school for one year at Oregon but she got her undergraduate degree from UNC. I am very surprise at this because I don't recall her getting her masters from Oregon. They need to fix this immediately.

They're not gonna fix this. It's always been done this way because a player declares for the W draft from the current or most recent college they are enrolled at. That's why you see her listed as a player from Oregon. However if you go to her Bio section on the site there is mention of her four-year career at UNC.

Deja Kelly Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More | WNBA

Checkout the latest stats of Deja Kelly. Get info about her position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on WNBA.com

www.wnba.com

 

[Jriv23]

Two things Princess Anne High School is known for - Pharrell Williams and their girls basketball program. That school has been pumping out elite level girls basketball players for the last 25 years. The most notable is Elizabeth Williams who was the HS NPOY in 2011 and went on the play at dook and is currently on the Atlanta Dream roster. The school has won a total of 16 VA State Championships since 2002 and a whopping 12 of the last 13.



They're not gonna fix this. It's always been done this way because a player declares for the W draft from the current or most recent college they are enrolled at. That's why you see her listed as a player from Oregon. However if you go to her Bio section on the site there is mention of her four-year career at UNC.

Deja Kelly Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More | WNBA

Checkout the latest stats of Deja Kelly. Get info about her position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on WNBA.com

www.wnba.com

Thanks for the information. As long as it is mentioned somewhere, I can live with that. Yes, you are write about Princess Anne. I have heard a lot about their women's basketball teams. Without any doubts, that means Ojo is legit. That high school program speaks volumes about her.