UNC Basketball: Are Tar Heels prioritizing this 2021 recruit?

The UNC Basketball program hasn’t offered this five-star power forward just yet but are they a team that is prioritizing him?

Roy Williams and his staff at North Carolina are hoping to build a really good 2021 class after turning in a Top 3 recruiting class for the 2020 cycle.

The Tar Heels currently have seven offers out to prospects in the 2021 recruiting class, pinpointing their top targets as we sit here in June. However, they are also showing interest in a few other prospects that they have yet to offer.

One of those prospects is Jabari Smith, a five-star power forward in that 2021 class that has climbed the rankings and rally made a name for himself over the past year. Smith is ranked No. 5 overall by 247 Sports and the No. 2 power forward in the class. 

While he’s ranked as a top 5 recruit, Smith’s recruitment has been a quiet one so far. But now as we head into the Summer, things are starting to heat up a bit and there are seven schools that are really prioritizing the Georgia product, including North Carolina.

Evan Daniels of 247 Sports wrote on Smith’s recruitment, talking to the prospect about what schools have really made him a priority. In the article, Smith talks about the Tar Heels and how they haven’t offered yet but things are moving fast and it’s only a matter of time before he gets that offer:

"“The recruiting process hasn’t picked up a lot but it’s been the same schools that have been on me hard,” Smith said. “I recently picked up interest from North Carolina so that’s been pretty cool.”Smith said he’s talked to North Carolina head coach Roy Williams a “couple of times,” but has mainly talked to UNC assistant Huber Davis.“They haven’t offered me yet but they said they were moving close to it,” he said. “They’re basically saying how they’re going for winning and going for forwards and stuff like that. They were just telling me how they will use me and how I will fit their program.”"

Other schools involved in his recruitment are Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama and LSU.  With 9 offers in his recruitment, Smith has taken just one official visit so far as he went to Tennessee but he’s taken unofficial visits to Auburn, Georgia Tech, Alabama and Georgia.

It will be interesting to see if Smith does land that offer from North Carolina soon as there is legit interest there and it feels like only a matter of time.

For more on UNC Basketball recruiting, please check back with Keeping It Heel.