Heel Tough Blog: UNC Lands West Virginia Transfer to Begin Roster Overhaul

Tipton Edits/On3 Sports

After hosting Jonathan Powell on a Zoom call earlier today, the Tar Heels landed West Virginia transfer, Jonathan Powell, making him the first transfer portal commitment of the 2025 off-season. Powell had a visit with Ohio State yesterday and had one more visit scheduled, but after meeting with Carolina virtually, was convinced Chapel Hill was the place for him to be, as his basketball journey continues. The Ohio native averaged over 8 points per game last year for the Mountaineers, while he shot 38% from the field, and 35% from behind the arc, averaging nearly 6 attempts per game from deep. He played in 32 games, made 23 starts, and averaged over 30 minutes, for a team that was on the cusp of making the NCAA Tournament. 

When Hubert Davis addressed what he wanted to add to his roster for next season, he highlighted size, and shooting, two aspects his team lacked this past season. Powell fits the criteria for both, as he’s 6-6, and his shot chart would suggest he’s going to be a perimeter threat for Carolina next season, which is desperately needed after the departure of RJ Davis, and the status of both Ian Jackson and Cade Tyson currently unknown. 

As long as Powell doesn’t end up being the headliner of this year’s portal haul, this is a really good pickup for Carolina, as they start to put together this class. Carolina hosted San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd over the weekend, they had Elon transfer Nick Dorn on campus today, and they are set to host Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar tomorrow before the dead period begins on Thursday. So after all the angst yesterday after missing out on two transfer targets, Carolina’s class could come together by the end of the week, giving Hubert Davis a clearer vision of what his roster will look like, for a pivotal season, in regard to his future on the UNC bench. 

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