The North Carolina Tar Heels were unable to secure a commitment from AJ Dybantsa, the top-ranked player in the Class of 2025, but they remain active in their recruiting efforts.
Their attention now shifts toward the 2026 recruiting class, with a visit scheduled for one of its top prospects.
On Tuesday, Dec. 10, North Carolina announced that it will visit 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr.
Rippey, a junior from Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey, is ranked 21st in the Class of 2026. He is also the fifth-best point guard in the country and the top player in New Jersey.
However, UNC won’t be the only school competing for Rippey’s attention. ACC rival Syracuse has also announced plans to visit him.
Should the Tar Heels extend an offer following their visit, Rippey would become their seventh 5-star recruit. North Carolina has already extended offers to six other top players: power forward Tyran Stokes, small forwards Cameron Holmes, Caleb Holt, and in-state talent Cole Cloer, shooting guard Jordan Smith, and power forward Miikka Muurinen.
UNC showed its ability to land top-end talent in its 2024 recruiting class, with 5-star McDonalds All-Americans Drake Powell and Ian Jackson choosing to play their college ball in Chapel Hill. High school standouts still want to become Tar Heels, but in today’s NIL era, money is seemingly more important to them.
When Hubert Davis is up in New Jersey visiting Rippey, he needs to find a way to convince Rippey that North Carolina is still a highly-sought-after college basketball destination.
UNC has the championships, NCAA Tournament appearances and tradition that some of these other programs – in this case, BYU – doesn’t have. Other programs might be able to offer high schoolers more money, only for those players to transfer or turn pro after one year.
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