Heel Tough Blog: UNC Lands Alabama Transfer, to Add to Its Off-Season Recruiting Haul

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Less than an hour ago, Tar Heel Illustrated reported that UNC was no longer pursuing BYU transfer Kanon Catchings after his official visit to UNC took place over the weekend. We know why, as it was reported by Jonathan Givony of ESPN, that UNC had landed Alabama transfer, and Chapel Hill native, Jarin Stevenson, as the fourth commitment out of the portal this season. There was belief around Catching’s visit, that if didn’t commit in a timely manner, UNC would switch its focus to Stevenson, who NC State and Will Wade were also recruiting. Once Catchings didn’t announce on Saturday whether or not he was joining the UNC program, it made sense for Hubert Davis, Jim Tanner, and the staff to focus on Stevenson, before ultimately losing out to an in-state, ACC foe. 

Stevenson has spent the last two seasons at Alabama, and was part of two teams that beat UNC, one in the NCAA Tournament, and most recently this past season in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Hubert Davis had to hear a lot of complaints from the UNC fan base, letting a talent let Stevenson get away from his own backyard, but now Carolina has added a more developed player to its roster. In 37 games, he averaged 5.4 points, and 3.4 rebounds, while shooting 43% from the field, and 31% from behind the arc, on a team that made the Elite Eight. In his career, he’s averaged 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and has shot 42% from the field, and 31% from deep. 

Those numbers don’t blow anyone away by any means, but Stevenson will bring a winning pedigree in as a transfer, having been part of a team that made the Final Four last season, and the Elite Eight this year. Also, given his Chapel Hill roots, he has a connection with Drake Powell, who is currently weighing a decision to turn pro or not, and the possibility of playing with a friend, may influence his decision to return for his sophomore season. 

Stevenson joins a portal haul featuring electric scoring Kyan Evans from Colorado State, wing Jonathan Powell from West Virginia, and big man Henri Veesaar from Arizona. When Hubert Davis talked about the goals of the off-season in the transfer portal, he mentioned adding size and shooting to a roster that lacked both last season, and he has done just that. Stevenson will need to become a better shooter, but at 6-11, he’ll be a difference-maker on the interior that UNC lacked last season. 

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