UNC Basketball: Will recruitment for 2021 5-star heat up?

A top UNC Basketball recruiting target could see his recruitment heat up here in the next few weeks which might be bad news for the Tar Heels

With just one commitment in the 2021 recruiting class, Roy Williams and his UNC Basketball staff are hoping to build on that and add at least two more recruits.

The Tar Heels have a total of eight offers out for prospects in that 2021 class including a few five-star recruits they would love to land. Among them is five-star combo guard Hunter Sallis, a prospect out of Nebraska that caught Williams eye and eventually landed a scholarship from the program.

Sallis is ranked as the No. 19 player overall, No. 2 combo guard and No. 1 player in the state of Nebraska per the 247 Sports Composite rankings. He has a total of 23 offers in his recruitment including from UNC, Kansas, Gonzaga, Louisville and in-state Nebraska among others.

While Sallis is drawing a lot of interest from programs, Williams and his staff are hoping to can pluck him out of the Midwest and bring him to Chapel Hill. However, it won’t be easy and Sallis’ recruitment could start to heat up as the point guard market for the 2021 class continues to dwindle with commitments.

Rivals’ recruiting analyst Corey Evans wrote on the point guards in the 2021 class as many of them have pledged their commitments or plan to do so soon. He touched on how Sallis was one of the top options left and how his recruitment may be heating up soon:

"While Whitt has seen his no shortage of high-majors enter his recruitment, I also wouldn’t be surprised if Hunter Sallis saw his own recruitment hit another level. Sure, Kansas and North Carolina are involved, but there may be one or two other programs that could be ready to make the move on the elite guard."

Sallis hasn’t provided an update on his recruitment by trimming his list or anything as of late but there are rumblings that the Tar Heels could be the favorites in this race. Their offer certainly changed some things and made them a legit contender but can they do enough to land him?

This recruitment will certainly be one to watch down the stretch and the recruiting dead period could play a factor as Sallis hasn’t been able to get on campus for a visit. It also doesn’t seem like he’s ready to make a decision just yet.

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