Deja Kelly pens farewell to North Carolina: 'I believe it is time to move on'

As Deja Kelly weighs her options in the transfer portal, there was some speculation she could return to North Carolina. She spent the last four years in Chapel Hill before entering the portal as a graduate transfer last month.

However, Friday, she announced she wouldn’t be returning to the Tar Heels for her final year of college basketball.

On3 2023-2024 Women’s Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker

Tar Heel for life 🩵 pic.twitter.com/fK3zEzAvPx

— Deja Kelly (@dejakelly25) May 3, 2024

Kelly made the news official in a post on X Friday night, thanking the North Carolina and Chapel Hill communities. But after graduating from UNC, she plans to take her talents elsewhere with a fifth year of eligibility.

“I am forever indebted to the University of North Carolina, the women’s basketball program, and greater Chapel Hill community for your hospitality and four years of amazing memories together,” Kelly wrote, in part. “With that being said, all good things must come to an end. I believe it is time to move on, but please know Chapel Hill will always and forever be my home.

“Please rest assured that I gave you everything I had, while earning a degree along the way. As I write this letter, I feel confident that I am leaving UNC Women’s Basketball in a better place than I found it.”

Kelly has been weighing her options in the portal since entering in April, and LSU and Oregon have reportedly expressed interest. She put up impressive numbers as a senior this past season, averaging 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Deja Kelly’s NIL star is on the rise

Deja Kelly is sure to be one of the most notable names in women’s basketball this year as stars such as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese head to the WNBA. She made a name for herself in the NIL space at North Carolina, and she inked a deal with Bazooka as part of her growing portfolio earlier this week along with LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson.

With 1.2 million followers on social media, including 804,000 on TikTok, Kelly ranks No. 12 in the On3 Women’s NIL 100 – the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 women’s high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. She also ranks No. 9 in the On3 Women’s College Basketball NIL Ranking.

Kelly has also landed NIL brand deals with top companies like Keurig, State Farm, Tommy Hillfiger, crocs, Beats by Dre, Actively Black and many others.