UNC Basketball: Tar Heels falling behind for these recruits?

The UNC Basketball program appears to be falling behind for these three recruits in the 2021 class according to one analyst

This has been a unique past few months in terms of recruiting for the UNC Basketball program and the rest of college basketball. With a dead period in place since March, coaches and recruits have not been allowed to travel and meet together leading to no true evaluation periods.

For the North Carolina Tar Heels, this may have a big impact on their 2021 recruiting class.

UNC currently has one player committed, landing four-star forward Dontrez Styles back in March but are hoping to add more. They have several targets left on their recruiting board and the plan is to add at least two more recruits for the class. However, no visits have made things difficult for UNC’s chances.

Among the targets still left are five-stars Trevor Keels, Harrison Ingram and Jabari Smith. The Tar Heels were likely never a true contender for Keels but they were considered a legit threat for Ingram and Smith at some point.

That appears to have changed.

Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans had some interesting notes on the Tar Heels and their 2021 class including the three prospects mentioned above. The news isn’t good for Tar Heels’ fans:

"Their chances with Trevor Keels and Harrison Ingram are not great, which could also be said for Jabari Smith. But if Trey Kaufman decides to look out of state, it could be good news then for the Tar Heels. If UNC lands Clark, Dunn, Styles and a wild card like a Kaufman or Reid, I think Williams and his staff – along with the rest of Tar Heel Nation – would gladly accept that mix of players."

Ouch. That’s certainly not good news for Tar Heels’ fans.

While UNC would love to land either Ingram or Smith, the chances of them landing a player like D’Marco Dunn and Trey Kaufman are increasing. That’s the good news. If they can land both to add with Styles, it would be a huge boost for the Tar Heels class which is coming off a Top 2 class in 2020.

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