North Carolina transfer Kerwin Walton narrows list down to five schools

North Carolina transfer wing Kerwin Walton has narrowed his list down to five schools, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. The remaining finalists for the former four-star prospect are Clemson, Kansas State, Memphis, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Walton committed to the Tar Heels for the 2020-21 season as the No. 28 small forward and No. 112 overall player in the 2020 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. In addition to the Tar Heels, he also held offers from Arizona, Baylor, Kansas and several others.

The 6-foot-5 wing made an immediate impact as a freshman, finishing first on the team with 58 3-pointers while making 20 starts. He hit 42% of his 3-point attempts that year, breaking a UNC freshman record. He averaged 10 points over the final 23 games of the season, hinting at a promising future in Chapel Hill.

Unfortunately, Walton went through a bit of a setback during his sophomore season. Although he appeared in 31 games, he saw his minutes drop from 21 to 13.3 and his scoring average dip from 8.2 to 3.4. North Carolina had a special season, advancing to the national championship where it would finish as runner up to Kansas. Walton was barely a factor in that run, appearing in just two NCAA Tournament games for a total of four minutes.

His lack of playing time from this past season may have impacted the decision of Kerwin Walton to enter the transfer portal. There he ranks as the No. 103 overall player and No. 27 small forward according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

Walton is not the only player to transfer from the Tar Heels this offseason. Power forward Dawson Garcia also announced his decision to leave the team, later committing to Minnesota. Walton has given no timetable as to when he might announce his commitment.