UNC freshman Ian Jackson entered his name into the transfer portal Monday afternoon, likely signaling that his days in Chapel Hill are over. Jackson started the season coming off the bench for Carolina before earning himself a starting role in the middle of the season and finishing the season coming off the bench again after a slump in his numbers. Jackson is the third Tar Heel to enter the portal so far this year.
It certainly looked like the Tar Heels would only have Jackson for one year when he was on fire in the heart of the season. He became the team’s biggest offensive weapon that teams would have to plan around containing. It seemed like once those plans shifted from RJ Davis to Jackson, the freshman’s numbers fell off a bit. Still, it was easy to see how he would potentially be a centerpiece for the 2025-2026 team if he did not end up heading off to the NBA Draft.
Now, instead of the draft, at least for the time being, it looks like Jackson will be trying to pick a new school for next season. Whatever the reason behind the decision, it’s a pretty unfortunate update for the team that recruited Jackson to not be able to hold onto him. Yes, this environment of college basketball is different, but he is a player you absolutely fight to keep if he’s going to play in college another year.
The Tar Heels are now down three players from last year’s squad with the potential for that list to grow. They’ve added Jonathan Powell and Henri Veesaar to their ranks, but they certainly need to find a point guard at minimum. Incoming guards Isaiah Denis and Derek Dixon figure to be in the mix for playing time in Jackson’s absence.
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