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Basketball
The Tar Heels are benefitting from the location of the John Wall Invitational this year in Raleigh. Roy Williams and company have been able to evaluate more talent than other programs located further away, and now power forward Vernon Carey Jr., the no. 1 overall player in the 2019 class, is set to make his first visit to Chapel Hill while his school is in town. It’s a great opportunity for the Tar Heels to make their pitch to him and form a relationship that could help down the line.
In his latest blog entry with USA Today, Zion Williamson disclosed that he will be out until sometime in January with an injury to his foot. In the meantime, he feels he is close to making a decision, though no time table has been shared yet. Right now Williamson is still considering UNC, Clemson, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, and UCLA, among others.
Football
Recruiting for football has remained quiet over the holiday week. Diehards has a great rundown on all the targets UNC needs to focus on now that the early signing period has passed. Names like Dax Hollifield and Rick Sandidge keep showing up, but there are other key targets out there.
In the meantime, a few lucky high school kids received offers for Christmas. Four-star outside linebacker Jaleel McRae received an offer on Christmas Eve. The Florida native ranks 73rd overall in the class of 2019, and is considered top 10 in his home state and position. Georgia tight end Jackson Lowe also announced that he received an offer on Christmas Day.
Though the ink has yet to dry on this year’s Letters of Intent, McRae would be a fantastic addition to the 2019 signing class. Right now, Larry Fedora has three players committed in four-star athlete Hakeem Beamon from Virginia, three-star cornerback Jayden Curry from Florida, and three-star safety Coleman Reich from Thomasville, North Carolina. However, there are bound to be additions to the class over the next few months.