It's not been the offseason that the North Carolina Tar Heels fan base was hoping for from Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program. After a wildly frustrating season and a First Round exit in the NCAA Tournament (amid questions whether they actually deserved to be in the field at all, it should be said), a big offseason was needed. And while Davis has made some nice additions via the portal, the losses may still outweigh that.
Tar Heels fans knew that RJ Davis and Jae'Lyn Withers were gone after exhausting their eligibility, but it was more surprising to first lose Elliot Cadeau and even more so the then lose Ian Jackson in the transfer portal. That leaves the Carolina basketball roster in an extremely tough spot moving forward, one that Davis is going to have to maneuver quickly to get out of.
He and North Carolina might've been handed a gift on the recruiting trail, however.
As UNC continues to explore options beyond the already committed transfer newcomers Henri Veesaar, Kyan Evans and Jonathan Powell, along with 5-star Caleb Wilson headlining a strong recruiting class, they hae another Top 30 recruit that they may be able to add with Wilson. High 4-star guard Acaden Lewis, originally committed to Kentucky, announced his decommitment from the Wildcats this week.
And Wilson might be the trump card to now lure Lewis to UNC.
Caleb Wilson gives endorsement for UNC basketball to land Acaden Lewis
Following the news of Lewis's decommitment, Tar Heels fan account UNC Zone on X/Twitter posited the idea of North Carolina getting back into the mix with Lewis after having initially recruited the No. 30-ranked overall player in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. They also asked Wilson, the gem of Davis's 2025 recruiting class his thoughts.
He responded plainly that he's on board with bringing Lewis into the fold.
I like it a lot
— Caleb Wilson (@CalebWilson2025) April 11, 2025
Wilson and Lewis are close friends and have chimed in on one another's recruitment throughout the process over the past year-plus. In fact, when Lewis initially committed to Kentucky and Wilson had not made his decision, the 5-star big man now locked in with the Tar Heels hinted that the two could team up.
That might now be possible with the Tar Heels.
North Carolina wasn't one of the three finalists for Lewis when he chose the Wildcats as Duke and UConn were the reported runners-up in his recruitment. He was, however, a target for Davis' program, so UNC has connections that they can lean on there. Furthermore, the state of the Tar Heels at this current juncture of the offseason makes them a much more favorable landing spot for Lewis as he'd likely have an immediate role.
For the program, though, it'd be an absolute boon to be able to unite the friendship of Wilson and Lewis in Chapel Hill. The backcourt appeared to be in shambles without Davis, Cadeau and then Jackson returning. But you then consider Lewis, Evans, Seth Trimble and Powell in the mix, along fellow 4-stars Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon incoming as well, the depth and talent of that group is much more substantial than fans could've previously imagined.
Again, none of this is a guarantee for UNC basketball. But when Wilson is adding his two cents to the matter, it'd be hard for any Tar Heels fan not to start dreaming about the possibility of bringing the freshmen super-friends to Chapel Hill.