UNC Basketball: Analyst talks Tar Heels’ upcoming recruiting classes

What’s on the horizon for Roy Williams and the UNC basketball program? Which, if any, of their recruiting targets in the classes of 2021 and 2022 will they sign?

The Tar Heels got off to a slow start this season, but their star-studded No. 2-ranked 2020 recruiting class is starting to look as good as UNC fans had hoped it would be. But even though they are beginning to look better both individually and as a unit, their rough patch to begin the season could keep more — or all of them — in Chapel Hill longer than we may have initially anticipated.

But no matter what combination of Day’Ron Sharpe, Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, or even Garrison Brooks that we see in Carolina blue next season, Roy Williams and company are going to need reinforcements from future recruiting classes ready to go when said players do leave, or when others run out of eligibility or suffer injuries.

That’s why the UNC coaching staff remains steadfast in its approach on the recruiting trail, looking to add to a 2021 class that currently has just two members — Dontrez Styles and D’Marco Dunn. Depending on who stays and who leaves after this season, though, the Tar Heels may not need much more from next year’s class than what they’ve already got lined up. The 2022 class is another story, however, and one that the Tar Heels need to assume will follow a possible mass exodus of talent.

Rivals recruiting analyst Eric Bossi said as much in a recent piece, where he notes that the Tar Heels’ current 2021 class may be the same as it is on day one next season, but that they’ll need to hit on some of their top targets in the following class.

"“. . .Looking at 2022, Walker is clearly up near the top of their list and the Heels are right there with Auburn and Michigan,” Bossi writes. “Point guard Jaden Bradley who moved from North Carolina to IMG where he teams with Walker is another who is high on the Heels list. Five-star forward Mark Mitchell from Kansas City is another who UNC is making some noise with and they are very much among the top contenders for a guy who could remind fans of former UNC star Harrison Barnes. Arizona big man Dylan Anderson appears to like North Carolina pretty well and others like Arkansas combo guard Nick Smith and Nebraska forward Isaac Traudt stand out to me as players that they appear to be locked in on. I don’t think any of these guys is particularly close to committing, but I do think it is realistic to think that Carolina could end up with a few from that group.”"

For the time being, things look good for North Carolina’s 2022 class. Although they are yet to get their first commitment from the bunch, they’ve got scholarship offers out to five prospects — three 5-stars and two 4-stars — and feelers out on a number of others. It’s still a bit early to predict the eventual landing spot of the five targets, but we should know more over the next few months and into the summer before their senior season of high school.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Tar Heels’ 2021 and 2022 recruiting classes, and everything UNC basketball.