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University of North Carolina: What does NCAA ruling mean for Tar Heels?

By Zack Pearson

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels speaks in a press conference after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 03: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels speaks in a press conference after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The dark cloud hovering over the University of North Carolina is officially gone

Well, it’s finally over. It’s all over folks.

The NCAA ruled on Friday morning that they could not conclude academic violations against the University of North Carolina. The ruling ended a long battle between UNC and the NCAA, with the school getting off with no sanctions.

In other words: It’s all over.

This feels like a giant weight off of everyone’s shoulders as this battle has certainly been a dark cloud over the University for years now.

But it also means something else.

The biggest one comes in the form of the basketball team. The fear was that UNC would have had to take down at least one banner, particularly 2005, if they were hit with sanctions. The 2009 one also was in question.

UNC avoided that and can now keep up those banners that hang in the Dean Dome. Oh, and they are hung another one on Friday night.

More importantly, this really helps UNC’s recruiting.

It’s no secret that this dark cloud really impacted recruiting over the last few years. Five-star recruit Brandon Ingram admitted that the uncertainty and question marks about the NCAA investigation played a role in his recruitment.

Ingram was a top 5 player in the 2015 class and picked the Duke Blue Devils over the Tar Heels.

UNC wasn’t able to land those consistent top 10 recruits they were used to getting outside of the 2014 class when they got Justin Jackson and Theo Pinson.

Although it worked out well for Williams and his program, it got frustrating at times.

Just days before the NCAA announced its decision, UNC got a big commitment from Nassir Little.

The five-star recruit is a top 10 player in the 2018 class and is a good sign that recruiting is coming back to form at UNC.

It will also impact the football program as well.

Fedora inherited a program that was already in trouble with the NCAA, receiving sanctions and a postseason ban from the Butch Davis era. The head coach had a rough start to his tenure but turned it around in years, leading the Tar Heels to an ACC Coastal Division title in 2015.

But the scandal that loomed over the program hurt recruiting.

Despite that, Fedora was able to put together a good 2017 class and already has a solid 2018 class built.

Next: LNWR: Tar Heels raise banner in Dean Dome

With that cloud finally gone, this could open up the recruiting for the football program as well.

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