UNC basketball rumors: 5-star reclassify candidate visits, Pitino poaches Heels, Team USA connection
UNC basketball rumors: 5-star Jarin Stevenson visits Chapel Hill amid reclassification rumors
With 5-star point guard Elliot Cadeau reclassifying for the 2023 class from the 2024 cycle, the top-ranked UNC basketball recruiting class for next year took a hit. Hubert Davis, however, is working hard to secure that spot further by landing another 5-star commitment from Jarin Stevenson.
Stevenson, who has been on the Tar Heels’ radar for several years now as one of the program’s top targets, took a visit to Chapel Hill recently. More importantly, though, the latest intel suggest that Stevenson will announce a top three and could make a decision on his commitment by the end of the month, per Inside Carolina.
North Carolina is expected to, at minimum, be in the top three for the No. 22 overall recruit in the 247Sports rankings for the 2024 class. But the bigger question that has been circling around Stevenson is if he could reclassify and join Cadeau in the 2023 class.
The Inside Carolina reports and recruiting experts suggest that Stevenson would be better served to develop another year at the high school level as he’s not considered as college basketball-ready as Cadeau. Even still, he could be another asset to boost the roster for the 2023-24 season in Chapel Hill as Davis and his staff still have three available scholarships remaining to hand out.
One thing to note, though, is that many of the big commitments that North Carolina has been able to secure recently have come not long after their official visits. Perhaps Stevenson will be an outlier there, but his visit to UNC was his last scheduled one before starting to get to decision time, so Tar Heels fans will have word soon on if the 5-star plans to head to Chapel Hill — and what year he plans to do so.
Next. Ranking the 30 best UNC basketball players ever. dark
For more NCAA basketball and March Madness news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.