UNC Basketball: Tar Heels keeping in contact with 4-star wing

Roy Williams, UNC basketball program keeping in touch with 4-star wing from class of 2022

Roy Williams and the North Carolina basketball program are yet to extend a scholarship offer to class of 2022 prospect Justin Taylor, but that won’t keep the Tar Heels from playing a major part in his recruitment. Taylor said as much in a recent interview with Rivals’ Jamie Shaw, noting that he “talks with [UNC] pretty consistently.”

But the Tar Heels may not be at the top of Taylor’s list, and they definitely aren’t among the programs that he’s been in contact with most frequently. Rather, it’s Georgetown, Indiana, Marquette, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech that have really gone all-in on the talented junior from St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia. And Taylor is holding scholarship offers from each of the six aforementioned schools.

A 6-foot-6, 205-pound wing with speed, athleticism and a versatile offensive skill set, Taylor is also holding offers from about 10 other schools, including Butler, Maryland and NC State. According to early returns from analysts at 247Sports, however, it’s a quartette of schools — Indiana, Syracuse, Virginia and Virginia Tech — that currently have the inside track to a commitment from Taylor.

That doesn’t mean much at this point, though, seeing as it’s still very early in Taylor’s recruitment, and there’s plenty of time for other programs to make their move. Whether or not the Tar Heels are going to officially throw their name in the hat is unknown, but Taylor is the type of player that we’ve seen sign with North Carolina over the past few years that offers the program longevity and growth over multiple years rather than immediate star-power.

And depending on what happens with the Tar Heels’ top wing targets in the class of 2022, Taylor could become an important prospect for Roy Williams and company. If it turns out to be anything like it’s been since signing Nassir Little in 2017 — he was their last 5-star wing signee — then prioritizing Taylor in the coming months may be a foregone conclusion.

Taylor is currently ranked 86th in the 247Sports Composite. He’s No. 19 among small forwards, and fifth in the state of Virginia. He’s ranked a little higher in the Rivals150, where he comes in at No. 69 overall and 17th among players at his position.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Justin Taylor recruitment, and everything UNC basketball.