Sometimes, it's easy to forget that at one point in time, forward Dawson Garcia was being viewed as a potential superstar for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Back in 2021-22, he joined the ACC powerhouse after transferring in from Marquette. The sky was the limit for him.
However, Garcia, in shocking fashion, packed his bags in Chapel Hill midway through the campaign and bolted on the program. He cited family health issues for why he left town, but the belief is a reduction in his playing time in favor of Brady Manek resulted in him making his exit.
Since then, Garcia made his way to Minnesota, spending the past three seasons with the Gophers, highlighted by a strong 2024-25. In surprising fashion, though, he has once again entered the transfer portal, this time doing so with no eligibility left, but he's ready to potentially take legal action to help lock in one more year at the college level. Should that happen, he'll be getting ready to suit up for his fourth program:
The NCAA has failed to adopt and apply uniform, meaningful exceptions to its eligibility rules. It provides waivers to some athletes and denies others in substantially similar situations. We are currently considering bringing a case against the NCAA for Dawson Garcia. https://t.co/GjrU57LuLZ
— Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) April 22, 2025
Former UNC forward Dawson Garcia is once again looking to transfer
Since making the move to Minnesota, Garcia has turned his career around and he's been fun to watch, just not for the UNC faithful. Last season, he averaged 19.2 points per game. The year before, he poured in 17.6 points per showing.
In his 16 games with the Tar Heels, which included 12 starts, he averaged nine points per contest. You'd think that after five years in college he'd be ready to move on and chase his pro career, but he indeed is eyeing one last dance.
This week alone, we've seen plenty of players enter the transfer portal despite not having eligibility left. UNC's Ven-Allen Lubin also announced he was entering the portal, but his call was more of a business decision so he can wait and see what happens with the NCAA settlement.
Soon enough, we should have some answers regarding everyone waiting for an update. With Garcia, he could cash in big time from a different program if he in fact gets his one final year. We just hope it doesn't come with an ACC rival.