UNC Basketball: Is recruitment still wide open for this five-star?

A top UNC Basketball recruiting target in the 2021 recruiting class is still deciding and isn’t ready to make a decision just yet

As the UNC Basketball program continues to try to add to their 2021 recruiting class, the options are starting to dwindle down. The Tar Heels still have a few targets left, including four-star forward Trey Kaufman who is making his decision Friday, but after that there are limited options.

One of those options left for Roy Williams and his staff is five-star combo guard Hunter Sallis, a prospect out of the Midwest that is one of the top players in the class.

Sallis is ranked No. 7 overall recruit, No. 2 combo guard and No. 1 player in the state of Nebraska per 247 Sports. He has a total of 26 offers in his recruitment but appears to be down to a few teams that he’s focusing on.

Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina have emerged as the favorites in this recruitment and many believe it’s between the Wildcats and Tar Heels. But don’t expect Sallis to make a decision any time soon and according to one analyst, his recruitment could be “wide open” still.

247 Sports recruiting analyst Eric Bossi wrote on the possibility of Sallis potentially committing early in his recruitment. While that’s not the case, Bossi says no team is essentially a lock to land the recruit:

"Up until about a month ago there was quite a bit of buzz that Sallis had tired of the recruiting process and wanted to get it out of the way. Recently, there has been some talk behind the scenes that he and his family could look to take some trips on their own to research programs. Regardless, it is looking less than likely that he has a decision in time to sign early. Kentucky could have a slight edge here but Sallis Is relatively open and nobody should be thinking he’s a lock for the Wildcats, or any other school."

That’s actually good news for the Tar Heels.

Over the past few weeks, many believe the Kentucky Wildcats really picked up some steam and took the lead in the recruitment. They were reportedly the favorites to land him but the longer this goes on, the more this doesn’t become the case honestly.

The Tar Heels still have a legit shot to land Sallis, a player that is almost a “must-get” for them at this point. But this will certainly be an interesting recruitment to watch as the months go on.

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