What Does North Carolina’s Roster Look Like Next Season?
After a controversial decision by the March Madness committee to sneak North Carolina into the tournament, Coach Hubert Davis decided it was time to reload. A reported new deal signed mid-season by coach Davis and UNC left the college basketball world in a state of shock after yet another underperforming season from the Tar Heels. As of June, the Tar Heels have reportedly spent upwards of $14 million in NIL for their upcoming roster. This amount is nearly triple what their entire NIL spending was last year. UNC is looking to make changes. After reaching the NCAA National Championship game in 2022, Carolina missed the tournament the year after and hasn’t found much March Madness success afterward. Coach Davis has been criticized for his limited offensive playbook and his lack of adjustments to the offensive flow.
Headlining UNC’s expensive new roster is a five-star McDonald’s All-American and the eighth-ranked player in the country, Caleb Wilson. Wilson is a forward who can be a do-it-all type of player for Coach Davis. The transfer portal is where Davis ultimately left his mark. Securing commitments from Arizona forward Henri Veessar, Alabama forward Jarin Stevenson, and Kyan Evans, who’s a transfer guard from Colorado State. Veesaar and Stevenson both have reportedly inked NIL deals north of two million. Despite losing the 2023 ACC Player of the Year and the 2024 Jerry West Award winner, RJ Davis, to graduation and star point guards Elliot Cadeau to Michigan and Ian Jackson to St. John’s.
Despite their big spending, UNC isn’t necessarily in the best position. In a top-heavy ACC with powerhouse leaders such as Duke and Louisville, UNC will be tasked with trying to string together tough wins. Even though other teams, such as Duke and Louisville, have spent half the NIL budget UNC has, the roster construction of both those other teams has them in a more comfortable position than the Tar Heels. There’s speculation regarding the spending and the amount of spending coming from UNC, even factoring in the other top spending teams across the country. Coach Hubert Davis has his work cut out for him this season. Davis and the rest of the UNC staff have put together quite the off-season, and don’t be surprised if the Tar Heels make a run in March.
