UNC basketball to host four-star recruit for visit
The North Carolina Tar Heels had a top 10 recruiting class for the 2025 cycle, headlined by the commitment of five-star forward Caleb Wilson. But for future classes, the Tar Heels have yet to land a commitment from the 2026 and 2027 classes.
It's way too early to panic, however, as the Tar Heels continue to build their recruiting board. One prospect in the 2027 class that UNC has its eyes on is four-star combo guard LJ Smith out of Oak Hill. Smith has a total of 17 offers and now he's starting to set some visits.
Per Travis Branham of 247Sports, Smith has scheduled an official visit to Georgia as well as unofficial visits to North Carolina and Tennessee. He will be on Georgia's campus for the weekend of September 27th. No dates have been announced for the visits to North Carolina and Tennessee.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard hails out of Mouth Of Wilson, Virginia and plays at Oak Hill Academy as he's one of the top prospects overall in the 2027 class.
He's ranked No. 26 nationally, No. 2 combo guard and the No. 2 player in the state of Virginia per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Peyton Manning visits dugout at Savannah Bananas game
#BroncosCamp was a little bananas today! 🔥@BananaBall_ x @TheSavBananas The Savannah Bananas took their World Tour to Denver, Colorado, over the weekend as they entertained fans with two games at Coors Field. They play 'Banana Ball,' which MLB's website describes as a "fast-paced, action-packed style of baseball with rules that include a two-hour time limit, fans catching foul balls for outs and games that are won by points -- not runs." While in town, a few members of the Savannah Bananas and players from the Firefighters (one of Savannah's opponents in the Banana Ball league) stopped by Denver Broncos training camp on Tuesday. Former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and his son, Marshall, attended at least one of the games at Coors Field, and he got into the dugout: It's a good day for a good day when you turn around and see Peyton Manning in the dugout. Awesome weekend at Coors Field for the Firefighters vs. Bananas. Banana Ball's "Dancing Umpire" also got a picture with Manning: "From calling audibles to watching a banana's game," the umpire wrote on his Facebook page. "Had to get a pic with the legend himself Peyton Manning! 'Omaha Omaha' this was an audible I didn't have on my bingo card!" The Savannah Bananas have a sold-out schedule for the rest of their 2025 season. Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Former UNC running back the favorite for Dallas Cowboys' starting gig
Can you imagine starting for the Dallas Cowboys? Javonte Williams "continues to see the most reps with the starters", per @ RB1 spot is getting clearer in Dallas 👀 North Carolina is quickly earning a reputation for their running backs over the years and sending them to the NFL UNC's most recent backfield addition to the NFL is Omarion Hampton, who became the Los Angeles Chargers' 22nd overall pick in April. Before Hampton, North Carolina sent the likes of Ty Chandler, Michael Carter and Javonte Williams to the NFL. Only Williams, who rushed for 1,140 yards during the Tar Heels' 2020 season, remains as a starting-caliber NFL back. Williams, now a member of the Dallas Cowboys, is all-but-confirmed as Dallas' 2025 starter. On Monday, Jon Machota of The Athletic said Williams is emerging as the Cowboys' RB1 option, thanks to a strong Training Camp. Williams, who didn't play in Dallas' preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, signed a 1-year deal earlier in the offseason. Williams is competing against Deuce Vaughn, Jaydon Blue and former 1,000-yard rusher Miles Sanders for the Cowboys' starting job. Williams made an immediate impact for the Denver Broncos during his rookie season, rushing for a career-high 903 yards and four touchdowns. Since suffering a knee injury early in 2022, Williams bounced between starting action and bench production. During Denver's long-awaited return to the NFL Postseason in 2024, Williams found the end zone four times, tying his rookie high and hinting at increased production. Dallas made a head-scratching decision to release Ezekiel Elliott after 2023 – and hasn't found consistent backfield production since. Williams might not be the Cowboys' running back of their future, but the former UNC back has a great chance to prove himself as that guy in 2025. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
ESPN's Greg McElroy calls Auburn a 'sleeper' ahead of the 2025 season
The preseason Associated Press poll for the 2025 season was released this week, and the Auburn Tigers were on the outside by receiving 10 votes. ESPN analyst and sports talk show host Greg McElroy shared his opinion of the poll following its release. During his spiel, McElroy included Auburn as a "sleeper" team for the top 25 by season's end. McElroy shared the same sentiments as ESPN's David Hale by pointing out that Auburn caught many unlucky breaks last season and does not expect the program to experience the misfortune of losing multiple one-score games during the upcoming season. 'It's just, there's no way (Auburn) can be as snakebit as they were last year," McElroy said during a recent episode of Always College Football. "The football gods won't allow, it's not likely. I guess it can happen, Nebraska fans are like 'We've been that way for awhile now, we've lost a lot of one-score games.' I get it, so I understand it can happen for sure.' One of the reasons why McElroy feels that Auburn's "receiving votes" status can change early on is thanks to their ability to revamp several position groups through the transfer portal. The defense held its own last season, but enhancements at wide receiver and offensive line could propel the Tigers to new heights under head coach Hugh Freeze. While McElroy respects Auburn and feels that they may be underrated heading into the new year, he is not ready to say that the Tigers are ready to contend for their first-ever College Football Playoff bid. 'So I look at Auburn and for them to be 5, 8, 11, 12 spots – so basically 37th in college football – to me is way too far (down),' McElroy said. 'I think Auburn has a chance to be a Top 25 team. I don't think they're a (College Football) Playoff team, but they have a chance to be a Top 25 team for sure. Especially with the pieces that've improved from last year to this year.' Auburn will get its first chance to make a statement on Friday, Aug. 29, when it faces Baylor on the road at 7 p.m. CT. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
