Outlining UNC's No. 2 Ranked Recruiting Class

November 8 marked the first day of the Early Signing Period, which runs through November 15. It is the first of two periods that players in the 2024 class can sign their National Letters of Intent. Per multiple reports UNC head coach Hubert Davis received three signatures. 

UNC’s three-man class ranks No. 2 in the 2024 On3 Team Ranking. The class is headlined by Five-Star Plus+ shooting guard Ian Jackson. The other two players are five-star small forward Drake Powell and four-star center James Brown. 

Barring anything unforeseen, UNC’s class is complete. On3 has confirmed, each of the three players have signed their National Letters of Intent to play for the Tar Heels. 

Let’s discuss each of the newcomers for this 2024 cycle.

Five-Star Plus+ SG Ian Jackson

Ian Jackson is a high-scoring guard from Bronx (NY) Our Savior Lutheran. The Five-Star Plus+ prospect played with the Wiz Kids program this summer on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit. Jackson chose UNC after taking official visits to Kentucky, LSU, Arkansas, and Oregon. 

Jackson is at his best when playing in a free-flowing, reactionary system. He is excellent in transition, and able to use an array of moves and courters to attack the basket with burst. The 6-foot-5 guard is a rhythm shooter, able to get hot and score a lot of points. He plays defense with a purpose, using his strength and athleticism to pressure the ball. There is some electricity with Jackson’s game as he stayed committed from January of 2023. 

Five-Star SF Drake Powell

Drake Powell fist popped on the national scene during his freshman season as he made a run to the state championship game with his Pittsboro (NC) Northwood High team. The 6-foot-5 wing has continued to carve out his niche as one of the top perimeter defenders in the class. 

Powell has also continued to win games amassing a 66-10 record in high school, and playing in two state championship games in three seasons. A look through UNC’s past and you see players like Theo Pinson that are built in a similar connective archetype as Powell and experienced a lot of success with the Tar Heels. Both of Powell’s parents went to UNC, and he committed quickly, in August of 2022. 

Four-Star C James Brown

The two aspects of James Brown’s game that pop are his motor and his athletic fluidity. You can see a clear upside to what and who he can be as a player. Listed at 6-foot-10, Brown took official visits to Missouri, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Illinois. He committed to the Tar Heels in October of 2022. Brown transferred to Branson (MO) Link Academy for his senior season. 

Brown averaged 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds with the MoKan Elite team during Nike’s Peach Jam this season. He played 14.9 minutes per contest and shot 54.3 percent from the field.