North Carolina All-American guard RJ Davis officially announced his return to North Carolina on social media Tuesday. Davis will be the only first-team All-American returning to play college basketball next season. The others (Zach Edey, Jamal Shead, Tristen Newton, and Dalton Knecht) are all heading to the NBA Draft.
After Armando Bacot decided to play a final season in 2023-24, Davis' return gives UNC two different All-Americans in consecutive years for the first time since James Worthy, Michael Jordan, and Sam Perkins in the early 1980s.
More: Expert analysis on RJ Davis' decision to return
Davis won't be the only key player returning. UNC guard Seth Trimble — a key backup on this season's team — elected to remove his name from the transfer portal to return to campus. Former five-star recruit Elliot Cadeau is expected to return for his sophomore season.
Last weekend, UNC landed one of the top players in the transfer portal in Belmont's Cade Tyson. Tyson ranked as the No. 16 player in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings and was one of the top 3-point shooters in the sport this past season.
CBS Sports is tracking the status of the Tar Heels roster and recruiting class in real time. Here's where every current North Carolina player and commitment currently stand.
Incoming transfers
Cade Tyson (Transfer from Belmont)
GP: 31 | GS: 31 | PPG: 16.2 | RPG: 5.9
Tyson is quite literally the definition of a sharpshooter. The 6-foot-7 forward connected on 46.5% of his triples on 5.5 attempts per night — hence why he was one of the most coveted players available. Tyson should have an opportunity to set into a starting role right away with starting forwards Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram both departing the UNC program.
North Carolina players expected to return
RJ Davis
GP: 37 | GS: 37 | PPG: 21.2 | RPG: 3.6
Davis has a strong argument as the best player in the sport and will be one of the favorites to win the Naismith Player of the Year award. The UNC star has appeared in 138 career games at UNC with 118 starts under his belt. Davis was 11th in the country in points per game and was a key reason why UNC earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament after a disappointing season the year before. He officially announced his return to school on social media days after CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported that would be the expected outcome.
Elliot Cadeau
GP: 37 | GS: 31 | PPG: 7.3 | APG: 4.1
Cadeau is a prime breakout candidate. The former five-star prospect elected to reclassify up to join UNC ahead of this past season, and after coming off the bench for the first few games of the season, he found a spot in the starting lineup. Cadeau averaged a team-high 4.1 assists. If Cadeau can further develop his jumper and shot from beyond the arc, he will find himself in the conversation as one of the best point guards in the ACC.
Seth Trimble
GP: 35 | GS: 1 | PPG: 5.2 | RPG: 2.1
Trimble started just one game for the Tar Heels this past season but was a backup on a team that reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. After initially entering his name in the transfer portal to explore his options ahead of his junior season, Trimble withdrew to give the Tar Heels more depth. Trimble averaged 17.1 minutes per game, and with Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram departing, more minutes should be available for the 6-3 guard.
Jalen Washington
GP: 37 | GS: 0 | PPG: 3.9 | RPG: 2.6
Washington appeared in all 37 games and primarily served as the backup center. Washington only averaged 8.4 minutes per game. That number should go up with Bacot leaving.
Zayden High
GP: 23 | GS: 0 | PPG: 0.8 | RPG: 1.1
High played sparingly this past season. The former No. 92 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle appeared in just 23 of UNC's 37 games.
Jae'lyn Withers
GP: 37 | GS: 3 | PPG: 4.2 | RPG: 3.6
In his first season at UNC, Withers appeared in all 37 games and made three starts. He spent the first three seasons of his career at Louisville. Withers has one final season of eligibility if he elects to exercise it.
North Carolina players not expected to return
Armando Bacot (Out of eligibility)
GP: 37 | GS: 37 | PPG: 14.5 | RPG: 10.3
The college career of one of the most accomplished players in ACC history is over. Bacot averaged a double-double for the third consecutive season and holds the program record for double-doubles and career rebounds. He is one of three UNC players to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
Cormac Ryan (Out of eligibility)
GP: 36 | GS: 34 | PPG: 11.5 | RPG: 2.8
The Notre Dame transfer used his final season of eligibility with the Tar Heels. Ryan started 34 games and shot 35.4% from distance on 5.9 attempts per night. He played in 152 games across three schools (Stanford, Notre Dame, and North Carolina) and made 121 career starts.
Harrison Ingram (Declared for NBA Draft)
GP: 37 | GS: 36 | PPG: 12.2 | RPG: 8.8
While it's possible that Ingram could withdraw from the NBA Draft to return to school because he's maintaining his eligibility throughout the process, staying in the draft seems like the more logical choice. Ingram had a productive season as a full-time starter and proved to be one of the best rebounding wings in the country. Ingram currently projects as a second-round pick this summer.
Paxson Wojcik (Out of eligibility)
GP: 32 | GS: 3 | PPG: 1.6 | RPG: 1.0
North Carolina was Wojcik's final stop of his five-year career. He started at Loyola-Chicago and played two seasons at Brown before enrolling at UNC. Wojcik averaged 8.3 minutes per night and appeared in 32 games.
James Okonkwo (In transfer portal)
GP: 15 | GS: 0 | PPG: 1.0 | RPG: 1.0
Okonkwo entered the transfer portal shortly after the conclusion of the season. He spent only one season at UNC after playing the last two seasons at West Virginia under Bob Huggins.
North Carolina's incoming recruiting class
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis has found success during his tenure using high school recruiting and the transfer portal. UNC's 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 12, and last year's class — headlined by Cadeau and High — ranked 15th. The Tar Heels are bringing in two top 10 players in the 247Sports rankings: Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. The other player in the class is three-star center James Brown, who ranks as the No. 108 overall prospect.
Here is a look at North Carolina's roster and incoming recruiting class with 247Sports rankings.
No. 9 Ian Jackson
The highest-ranked player from UNC's recruiting class committed to Davis and company over Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, and Oregon. The 6-5 shooting guard ranked as the No. 4 player at his position in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Jackson could make an impact as a two-way player from Day 1.
No. 10 Drake Powell
The No. 10 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle committed to North Carolina in September 2022 over Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee, and more. Powell is from Pittsboro, North Carolina — less than 20 miles from UNC's Chapel Hill campus.
No. 108 James Brown
Brown committed to North Carolina in January 2023 over Illinois, Duke, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Missouri, and more. He should provide depth at center upon his arrival on campus.
