After a tough 2023 cycle, recruiting looks up for UNC in 2024
The 2023 recruiting cycle has not been kind to the University of North Carolina (UNC). They have not offered many players, and of the players they have offered, most have gone in different directions.
To start on the positive side, the Tar Heels currently have Simeon Wilcher committed. The five-star guard committed to UNC in October and has remained steadfast in his pledge to this point.
Outside of Wilcher, six players have claimed offers from UNC: five-star GG Jackson, five-star Isaiah Collier, four-star London Johnson, four-star JJ Taylor, four-star TJ Power, and four-star Zayden High.
The downward trend for this class started when No. 1 ranked GG Jackson became the Tar Heels’ first de-commitment in the modern recruiting era to go to another college. It should be noted that Zayden High has yet to make his college choice, and UNC is very much in the mix for the 6-foot-10 power forward.
The 2024 class is on its way, and Hubert Davis has recently been named a top-20 recruiter in college basketball. That class comes after Armando Bacot (if he stays for a fifth year), and Justin McKoy loses their eligibility. Also, Caleb Love, RJ Davis, and Puff Johnson will have completed their fourth years. So 2024 could potentially be a big class.
Eight players in the 2024 class claim UNC offers, five-star Boogie Fland, five-star Elliot Cadeau, five-star Tre Johnson, five-star Trentyn Flowers, four-star Cam Scott, four-star Drake Powell, four-star Jarin Stevenson, and four-star James Brown.
Let’s focus on two of those players—the two players with deep UNC ties. The two players who should be slam dunks in this class for the Tar Heels.
Four-star SG Drake Powell
Drake Powell is one of the best perimeter defenders in the country. He is straight-up clamps on that end of the floor. The 6-foot-6 wing has long arms and plays with a mental toughness that seems to never rattle.
Powell led his Pittsboro (NC) Northwood High team to the state championship game his freshman season. He averaged 11.5 points, six rebounds, four assists, and 2.3 steals.
Powell’s Northwood team finished with a 24-4 record in his sophomore season. He upped his averages to 16.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and three steals. Powell also shot 46 percent from the field in a featured role.
Powell’s dad, Dedric, played third base for the Tar Heels and was a letterman in 1989. Powell’s mom, Cherice, also went to UNC, where she has multiple degrees. It also should be noted Hubert Davis is related to the Powells. Former Tar Heel and former NBA All-Star Walter Davis is Powell’s great uncle. Hubert Davis is Walter Davis’s brother’s son.
I set my expert pick into On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine for UNC the day Powell was offered. Something could happen at any time.
Four-star PF Jarin Stevenson
Jarin Stevenson is the 2024 On3 Consensus No. 22 player. Stevenson turned in one of the more statistically dominating seasons in North Carolina last year.
Playing for a public school in its first year, Stevenson averaged 20.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. For a school with only freshman and sophomore classes, they finished 12-10 on the season.
Stevenson’s dad, Jarod, played at Richmond, where he scored 1,482 career points and was the 1998 Conference Player of the Year. Regarding UNC, Stevenson’s mom, Nicole, played for the Tar Heels from 1995-98. She won three ACC championships and made it to three Sweet 16s.
It is worth noting Stevenson’s high school is less than 25 miles away from the Dean Dome.
Stevenson is going through the process, and maintaining he wants the be recruited. At the point of pressing ’publish’ on this article, Virginia poses the biggest threat to UNC. But make no mistake, UNC is in a good spot here.
2024 is looking up
Coming off a run to the NCAA finals, the 2023 recruiting cycle did not shape up the way it could. However, all is not lost in the class. Five-star guard Simeon Wilcher fits the archetype of Caleb Love, and they are still in the mix for four-star power forward Zayden High.
However, 2024 is right around the corner, and early returns are looking up for the Tar Heel faithful.