UNC Basketball: Tar Heels on the outside for 5-star forward?

Is the UNC Basketball program falling behind in the race for this 5-star power forward in the 2021 recruiting class? One analyst hints at it.

One big recruiting target that still remains for the UNC Basketball program is five-star power forward Jabari Smith.

The 6-foot-10, 210-pound Smith is one of the top players in the 2021 recruiting class, ranking No. 4 overall by 247 Sports. He has a total of 9 offers and has made 3 visits so far in his recruitment.

With the recruiting dead period still imposed, it hasn’t allowed prospects like Smith to take visits to campuses or meet with coaches in person. That may hurt the chances of a team like North Carolina who is hoping to reel Smith in.

Over the past few weeks rumors have swirled that Smith will likely end up with an SEC program when his recruitment is all said and done. Teams like Auburn, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee are all in the running hoping to land the recruit.

On Wednesday, Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans wrote on Smith’s recruitment and echoed that same statement that an SEC program is the likely destination. He did say that the Tar Heels remain in the mix but might be on the outside looking in:

"No head coach has prioritized Smith greater than Tom Crean and after not taking much of a push into the high school ranks in the 2020 class, instead, opting to go the more experience route with junior college and transfer candidates, Crean has Smith pegged as his top guy in 2021.His commitment will not come easy and while Georgia should be seen as the favorite, don’t count out Auburn, LSU or Tennessee. Bruce Pearl has done his best work with those from Atlanta, LSU is where his father played, and UT is the only program that has hosted him on an official visit. North Carolina is another that remains on the periphery."

That lined up with a similar report days ago that also suggested that an SEC program will be the likely destination.

This could be a situation where not being able to travel and visit recruits is hurting the Tar Heels as they can’t get Smith on campus. The good news is that Smith has yet to make his decision, which could continue to drag out. If that happens, UNC could eventually get him on campus and for a visit.

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