Former 5-star Ian Jackson leaving the North Carolina Tar Heels to enter the transfer portal after one year was already a substantial blow to Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program. With the graduation of both RJ Davis and Jae'Lyn Withers, Carolina was already going to need to get into the portal to find more scoring. However, Jackson was the most likely candidate on the roster to take up that mantle in a bigger role.
Losing him throws the immediate future of the Tar Heels, particularly on the offensive end of the floor, into disarray. Beyond that, though, Jackson is talented enough as a player that it seemed like just about every high-level college basketball program would've been a landing spot that would sting UNC basketball. Little did we know, the worst possible option outside of Duke was in play.
According to On3 insider Jamie Shaw ($), while St. John's is the presumed favorite for Jackson in the portal but the Red Storm and Rick Pitino aren't alone. The other prime contender looming is the rival NC State Wolfpack, a program that Shaw said is "worth paying attention to" in the race.
While seeing the Heels' star fall in favor of the on-the-rise Johnnies wouldn't be an easy pill to swallow, watching him go to a bitter rival on Tobacco Road would be that much worse.
UNC losing Ian Jackson to NC State would be devastating blow to Tar Heels, Hubert Davis
NC State hiring Will Wade this offseason made it clear the Wolfpack were going to be a factor for year's to come and an even bigger thorn in the side of UNC basketball. He's a good basketball coach, a great recruiter and evaluator of talent, and someone that elevates the program. That could be bad news for the Tar Heels and Jackson would only be the first tangible sign of that.
Not only would Jackson immediately, along with some of the McNeese State talent Wade is bringing with him to Raleigh, make NC State much more formidable in ACC play next season, but it would be a shot across the bough to move him just a few dozen miles away from Chapel Hill and beat St. John's, Jackson's home-state signature program in New York, for the former 5-star in the portal.
If there's any optimism to take from this, it's that Shaw also mentioned that North Carolina hasn't yet closed the door on Jackson returning to the program and withdrawing his name from the portal. That seems pivotal to consider and is something Davis and Co. should be pushing for.
Having said that, with Davis's already questionable job security given the failures of the 2024-25 season, losing a 5-star talent to rival NC State would only be another valid reason for fans to question why he remains in charge of UNC basketball.