UNC basketball staff loses transfer battle to John Calipari

Is money an issue for the Tar Heels in recruiting? Inside Carolina’s Sherrell McMillan discusses.

North Carolina has pursued multiple big men in the transfer portal this offseason but missed out on two of its top targets, Jonas Aidoo and Cliff Omoruyi, to Arkansas and Alabama, respectively. The recent portal misfires raised fan questions about the program’s strength in the NIL space. Inside Carolina’s Sherell McMillan reports that the Tar Heels’ offers are “extremely competitive,” and is not the reason for those misses.

North Carolina is extremely competitive when it comes to Name, Image and Likeness,” McMillan said on the Coast to Coast show. “They are extremely competitive. It’s not a situation where guys are on visits to North Carolina, and the staff says, ‘Oh, you should just play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back.’ They want people who want to be there, but they understand the realities of where college basketball and college athletics are now

Sometimes NIL and the transfer portal isn’t always about who you bring in, but who you retain. The Tar Heels return All-America guard RJ Davis and brought sixth-man Seth Trimble out of the transfer portal and back into the fold. Hubert Davis and Co. kept its star-studded 2024 recruiting class intact and lost just one player to the portal in James Okonkwo, who averaged 2.9 minutes per game last season.

For people who ask about the NIL program, look at the roster and the guys who they were able to keep,” McMillan said. “They managed to retain All-America and five-star players. That says a lot.”

With published reports and internet rumors of both large and small NIL offers, McMillan said to be wary of such information as the motivations of those involved incentive leaking false info for one’s own benefit, with the knowledge that there will be no clear denial or confirmation.