Alexander Brown
North Carolina All-American guard RJ Davis has officially announced his return to North Carolina on social media Tuesday. Davis will be the only first-team All-American returning to play college basketball next season. The others (Zach Edey, Jamal Shead, Tristen NewtonIt is Dalton Knecht) are all going to the NBA Draft.
After Armando Bacot decided to play one final season in 2023-24, Davis’ return gives UNC two different All-Americans in consecutive years for the first time since James Worthy, Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins in the early 1980s.
More: Expert Analysis of RJ Davis’ Decision to Return
Davis won’t be the only key player to return. UNC Guard Seth Trimble — a key reserve on this season’s team — chose to remove his name from the transfer portal to return to campus. Former five-star recruit Elliot Cadeau It is expected to return for its second season.
This past weekend, UNC landed one of the top players in the transfer portal, Cade Tyson from Belmont. Tyson was ranked as the 16th player in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings and was one of the best 3-point shooters in the game last season.
CBS Sports is tracking the status of the Tar Heels roster and draft class in real time. This is where all of North Carolina’s current players and commitments are.
Incoming transfers
Cade Tyson (Belmont transfer)
GP: 31 | GS: 31 | PPG: 16.2 | RPG: 5.9
Tyson is literally the definition of a sniper. The 6-foot-9 forward hit 46.5% of his triples on 5.5 attempts per night – which is why he was one of the most coveted players available. Tyson should have the opportunity to step into the starting role immediately, with starting offensive linemen Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram departing the UNC program.
North Carolina players expected to return
RJ Davis
GP: 37 | GS: 37 | PPG: 21.2 | RPG: 3.6
Davis has a strong case as the game’s best player and will be one of the favorites to win the Naismith Player of the Year Award. The UNC star has appeared in 138 career games at UNC, with 118 starts under his belt. Davis ranked 11th in the nation in points per game and was one of the main reasons UNC earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament after a disappointing season the previous year. He officially announced his return to school on social media days after CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported that was the expected outcome.
Elliot Cadeau
GP: 37 | GS: 31 | PPG: 7.3 | APG: 4.1
Cadeau is an excellent candidate. The former five-star prospect decided to reclassify to join UNC before last season, and after coming off the bench for the first few games of the season, he found a spot in the starting lineup. Cadeau averaged a team-high 4.1 assists. If Cadeau can further develop his jumper and shot from beyond the arc, he will find himself in the conversation as one of the best point guards in the ACC.
Seth Trimble
GP: 35 | GS: 1 | PPG: 5.2 | RPG: 2.1
Trimble started just one game for the Tar Heels last season, but was a backup on a team that reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. After initially entering his name into the transfer portal to explore his options before his junior season, Trimble withdrew to add more depth to the Tar Heels. Trimble averaged 17.1 minutes per game, and with the departure of Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram, more minutes should be available for the 6-3 guard.
Jalen Washington
GP: 37 | GS: 0 | PPG: 3.9 | RPG: 2.6
Washington appeared in all 37 games and served primarily as a backup center. Washington averaged just 8.4 minutes per game. This number is expected to increase with Bacot’s departure.
Zayden Alto
GP: 23 | GS: 0 | PPG: 0.8 | RPG: 1.1
High played sparingly last season. The former No. 92 pick in the 2023 recruiting cycle has appeared in just 23 of UNC’s 37 games.
Jae’lyn Withers
GP: 37 | GS: 3 | PPG: 4.2 | RPG: 3.6
In his first season at UNC, Withers played in all 37 games and made three starts. He spent the first three seasons of his career at Louisville. Withers has one final season of eligibility if he decides to exercise it.
North Carolina Players Not Expected to Return
Armando Bacot (out of eligibility)
GP: 37 | GS: 37 | PPG: 14.5 | RPG: 10.3
The college career of one of the most talented players in ACC history is over. Bacot averaged double-doubles for the third straight season and holds the program record for career double-doubles and rebounds. He is one of three UNC players to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
Cormac Ryan (out of eligibility)
GP: 36 | GS: 34 | PPG: 11.5 | RPG: 2.8
The Notre Dame transfer used his final season of eligibility with the Tar Heels. Ryan started 34 games and shot 35.4% from distance on 5.9 attempts per night. He played 152 games at three schools (Stanford, Notre Dame and North Carolina) and made 121 career starts.
Harrison Ingram (declared for the NBA Draft)
GP: 37 | GS: 36 | PPG: 12.2 | RPG: 8.8
While it’s possible Ingram could withdraw from the NBA Draft to return to school because he maintains his eligibility throughout the process, remaining in the draft seems like the most logical choice. Ingram had a productive season as a full-time starter and proved to be one of the best rebounding guards in the country. Ingram currently projects as a second-round pick this summer.
Paxson Wojcik (out of eligibility)
GP: 32 | GS: 3 | PPG: 1.6 | RPG: 1.0
North Carolina was Wojcik’s final stop in his five-year career. He started at Loyola-Chicago and played two seasons at Brown before enrolling at UNC. Wojcik averaged 8.3 minutes per night and played in 32 games.
James Okonkwo (in transfer portal)
GP: 15 | GS: 0 | PPG: 1.0 | RPG: 1.0
Okonkwo entered the transfer portal shortly after the end of the season. He spent just one season at UNC after playing the last two seasons at West Virginia under Bob Huggins.
North Carolina’s next recruiting class
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis has found success during his tenure using high school recruiting and the transfer portal. UNC’s 2024 recruiting class was ranked 12th, and last year’s class — headlined by Cadeau and High — was ranked 15th. The Tar Heels are bringing back two of the top 10 players in the 247Sports rankings: Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. The other player in the class is three-star center James Brown, who is ranked 108th overall.
Here’s a look at North Carolina’s list and entry recruitment class with 247Sports ratings.
#9 Ian Jackson
The highest-rated player in UNC’s recruiting class committed to Davis and company at Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU and Oregon. The 6-5 point guard was ranked as the No. 4 player at his position in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Jackson could make an impact as a two-way player from day one.
#10 Drake Powell
The No. 10 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle committed to North Carolina in September 2022, Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee and more. Powell is from Pittsboro, North Carolina – less than 20 miles from the UNC campus in Chapel Hill.
#108 James Brown
Brown committed to North Carolina in January 2023 over Illinois, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Missouri and more. He should provide center depth when he arrives on campus.
