UNC Basketball: Tar Heels in solid shape for five-star SF

Are the Tar Heels in solid shape for this five-star small forward in the 2021 recruiting class out of Texas? We take a look at the latest

One of the targets thats high on the North Carolina Tar Heels’ recruiting board is five-star small forward Harrison Ingram.

The Dallas native is one of the top players in the 2021 class and is one of seven players to hold an offer from the North Carolina Tar Heels. Roy Williams and his staff have been in on Ingram for months now and the head coach has even watched him play a few times. But with the recruiting dead period since March, the Tar Heels haven’t been able to see Ingram or get him on campus.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Ingram has a total of 26 offers in his recruitment and recently cut his list down to top schools: North Carolina, Arkansas, Baylor, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Purdue and Stanford.

Programs like Duke and Kentucky have also shown interest as of late, hoping to sneak in and make some noise in this recruitment.

But what program is considered the favorite to land the talented recruit?

Rivals basketball recruiting analyst Corey Evans broke down Ingram’s recruitment by ranking the top contenders as it stands now. Listed at the top were Stanford and Purdue as Evans called them 1A and 1B. But right after them are the Tar Heels:

"North Carolina has already struck once in the frontcourt with Dontrez Styles but will need a whole lot more if it wants to steady the ship after the season as there is a chance that a bevy of its first-year talent will leave for the NBA in the spring. Ingram is not a true post player but is someone that can check a lot of boxes and was an early priority for the Tar Heels compared to many of his other finalists. Ingram has already visited North Carolina, but the Heels need to find greater traction if it wants to land this five-star."

It’s good news that Evans thinks the Tar Heels still have a shot in this recruitment, listing them third in his contenders. As it stands now, Stanford might have the early lead as they do hold the lone 247 Sports Crystal Ball prediction from Brian Snow.

Ingram has made just two visits in his recruitment so far, going to Stanford and Texas Tech before the recruiting dead period was imposed. The Tar Heels had hoped to get him on campus but will have to wait a bit longer for that.

For more on Ingram and other UNC Basketball recruiting targets, please check back with Keeping It Heel.