UNC Basketball: Tar Heels among those recruiting 5-star prospect hardest

Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program are among those recruiting 5-star prospect Jarace Walker the hardest, but who poses the biggest threat to the Tar Heels?

Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels are still looking to get their first commitment from a class of 2022 prospect, and they’d love to do so with 5-star power forward Jarace Walker. A consensus top-10 recruit from Bradenton, Florida, Walker has been on the Tar Heels’ radar for quite some time.

He was offered a scholarship from former UNC head coach Roy Williams back in October of 2020, and the Tar Heels have stayed on the Walker recruitment in the months since, even after the coaching change that saw Williams retire and Davis elevated from an assistant coach.

So much so, in fact, that Walker told Joe Tipton of Tipton Edits that North Carolina is among the programs recruiting him hardest. Walker also stated that Auburn, Florida State, Houston and Maryland are right up there with UNC in their pursuit of his commitment, one that we don’t expect to come from quite some time. The Tar Heels will, no doubt, continue pushing hard for a commitment from Walker, as they’d love to build their 2022 freshman class around a player of his caliber.

The 6-foot-8, 225-pound Walker is one of the most coveted high school players in the nation thanks to his advanced physique and physically imposing presence on the basketball court. Not only that, he’s an incredibly gifted slasher, and attacks the basket well off the dribble. He’s a solid ball-handler, runs the floor well and can finish in transition. He’s also an excellent passer — particularly for his position — and possesses terrific court vision and awareness.

He’s just as likely to toss a teammate an alley-oop as he is to get inside the paint and throw down a resounding dunk of his own. He’s also good at using his size and strength to rebound the basketball, as well as playing pesky, tenacious defense. I look for Walker to play some kind of a hybrid forward or stretch-four position in college, that due to his size, offensive versatility and ability to guard multiple positions on the defensive end of the court.

A soon-to-be senior at IMG Academy, Walker has scholarship offers from nearly 20 schools including Alabama, Auburn, Connecticut, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. And by the time Walker makes a decision or compiles a list of finalists, he’s likely to add a number of high-major offers to that esteemed group.

Walker is currently ranked seventh in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2022. He’s No. 1 among small forwards in the class, and second overall in the state of Florida.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Tar Heels’ pursuit of Jarace Walker, and everything UNC basketball.