While UNC managed to win just 14 games this season and finished tied for the worst record in the ACC, performances from Tar Heel recruits in their senior seasons of high school offer hope to fans that the storied program can rapidly return to its winning ways.
North Carolina boasts five commits in its 2020 recruiting class, all of whom are ranked among the top 55 in the country by 247Sports. Three are five-star recruits and four were named McDonald’s All-Americans, just the third time in school history that has happened.
The class is ranked No. 3 in the country behind fellow blue-bloods Kentucky and Duke. UNC still has a slim chance to nab the top spot if it can get a late commitment from another top-10 recruit in forwards Ziaire Williams or Greg Brown.
Here's a look at what North Carolina's five commits have to offer.
Day’Ron Sharpe
Sharpe is the No. 14 recruit in the country and the highest-ranked recruit in UNC’s 2020 class. The forward is from Winterville, N.C. but played at Montverde Academy in Florida, where he helped lead his team to an undefeated record this season. He has all of the physical tools to succeed at the college level.
While Sharpe is not a polished product, he should be expected to contribute on the boards and add physicality to an already deep frontcourt rotation on the expectation that both Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot return.
Walker Kessler
Kessler shocked many in the basketball community when he committed to North Carolina over Duke in September. The center is the top-ranked player out of Georgia and was named Player of the Year by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association. He is a seven-footer with a versatile skill on the offensive end who will provide scoring on the block and occasionally from the perimeter in the loaded North Carolina frontcourt.
