The first-year Wolfpack staff recently visited early UNC basketball offer recipient Deron Rippey Jr.
Deron Rippey Jr., the namesake son of a 1990s ECU guard, landed an offer from one of his dream schools when UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis officially entered the mix in late December. Plus, the Tar Heels began showing interest in the 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard back when he was just a sophomore in high school.
However, in breaking down the Blair Academy (N.J.) junior’s loaded recruitment this week, 247Sports’ Brandon Jenkins made no mention of the Tar Heels. He did note one surging suitor from Tobacco Road, though, in new NC State basketball head coach Will Wade and his confident recruitment team, who visited Rippey just last week.
“Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville, NC State, Rutgers, and Syracuse are all seriously involved,” Jenkins wrote on Tuesday after pointing out Rippey’s top-shelf explosiveness and instincts in “moving different than everyone else on the floor” at the 3SSB Circuit Session I in Texas over the weekend.
UNC may well still be in contention for Rippey. That said, Jenkins’ report suggests the Tar Heels might not be among the frontrunners at this juncture.
The 2026 UNC basketball offer sheet currently includes double-digit undecided prospects. All but a couple are composite five-star talents.
