This week, HS Top Recruits released predictions/favorites for six high-profile 2025 recruiting battles, four of which involve the UNC basketball team. According to the report, the Tar Heels are leading five-star forward Caleb Wilson and competing with Gonzaga for five-star guard Isiah Harwell.
However, the forecasts predict that two UNC targets will transfer: five-star guard Jasper Johnson to Kentucky and five-star guard Darryn Peterson to Kentucky or Kansas.
Nonetheless, none of the four prospects mentioned above have publicly ruled out the Tar Heels from contention.
It’s also worth noting that Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound sharpshooter who grew up in Lexington, Ky., recently paid a visit to UNC and attended the team’s home win over Duke alongside Wilson. He’s also a Link Academy (Mo.) teammate of four-star center James Brown, who signed with UNC in 2024.
Meanwhile, HS Top Recruits’ analysis of the Harwell sweepstakes aligns with Rivals’ Rob Cassidy’s observation that Gonzaga and UNC appear to be well ahead of his other suitors. Cassidy explained that Harwell, who stands 6 feet 6 and weighs 200 pounds, became a Tar Heel fan as a child “in a contrarian effort to spite his older brothers, who supported Duke.”
2025 unofficial recruiting predictions:
J.Johnson- Kentucky
M. Thomas- Kentucky/Auburn
C. Wilson- North Carolina
D. Peterson- Kansas/Kentucky
I. Harwell- Gonzaga/North Carolina
D. Acuff- KentuckyWouldn’t lock these in but these are the front runners I believe.
— HS Top Recruits (@HSTopRecruiting) February 19, 2024
As for Peterson, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound smooth playmaker still has UNC among his eight finalists after his most recent round of cuts two months ago.
Five other students in the class have received a basketball offer from UNC but have yet to decide whether to accept it. They include five-star forward Cameron Boozer and his twin brother, five-star guard Cayden Boozer, as well as five-star forwards Koa Peat, AJ Dybantsa, and Bryson Tiller.
The 247Sportvibes Crystal Ball remains empty for all nine 2025 Tar Heel pursuits.
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