By R.L. Bynum
Carolina picked up another transfer Thursday in former Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan.
Ryan, a 6–5, 195-pound graduate transfer, has one year of remaining eligibility. He started his career with one season at Stanford, took a redshirt in his first year at Notre Dame and played the last three seasons for the Irish. He was twice an ACC All-Academic Team selection and was the Irish captain for the last three seasons.
“Ultimately, why I chose North Carolina, I really felt a strong connection with Hubert Davis, who is a phenomenal basketball coach and person,” Ryan told 247Sports. “I think we are poised to have a hungry and talented group. That is something that really drew me, and my role and fit with those guys is something that really excites me.”
Ryan’s career-high was 29 points when he had seven 3-pointers in Notre Dame’s NCAA tournament 78-64 victory over Alabama in 2022 and he had 28 points and six 3-pointers in a win at Duke on Feb. 9, 2021.
He averaged 10.5 points per game in his three seasons at Notre Dame, making 36.4% of his 3-point shots. He has scored at least five 3-pointers nine times, with the seven against Alabama a career-high.
He was 1–5 against the Tar Heels, with one game while at Stanford and the rest at Notre Dame. He averaged 12.3 points per game last season. The lone win was when Ryan scored 11 points in the Irish’s 78–73 home win over UNC on Jan. 25, 2022.
Ryan joins incoming transfers Paxton Wojcik from Brown and Jae’Lyn Withers from Louisville.
Ryan’s season-highs last season
| Points | 23 | Nov. 30 | Michigan St. |
| Minutes | 40 | Nov. 30 | Michigan St. |
| Field goals | 8 | Nov. 30 | Michigan St. |
| Field-goal attempts | 18 | March 4 | Clemson |
| 3-pointers | 6 | Nov. 30 | Michigan St. |
| 3-point atempts | 10 | March 4 | Clemson |
| Free throws | 7 | Nov. 16 | Southern Ind. |
| Free-throw attempts | 8 | Nov. 16 | Southern Ind. |
| Rebounds | 9 | Dec. 30 | Miami (FL) |
| Assists | 8 | Jan. 28 | Louisville |
| Blocks | 2 | Feb. 13 | Duke |
| Steals | 4 | Feb. 25 | Wake Forest |
UNC roster
Here is a rundown of the Tar Heels’ scholarship players from the just-completed season, with their class should they return next season listed. UNC has two available scholarships.
| No. | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | Returnees | | | |
| 4 | Sr. | RJ Davis | PG | 6–0 | 175 |
| 0 | Soph. | Seth Trimble | PG | 6–3 | 192 |
| 13 | Soph. | Jalen Washington | 4 | 6–10 | 225 |
| 5 | 5th year | Armando Bacot | 5 | 6–11 | 235 |
| Incoming transfers | |||||
| 5th year | Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame) | 3 | 6–5 | 195 | |
| 5th year | Paxton Wojcik (Brown) | 3 | 6–5 | 200 | |
| Junior | Harrison Ingram (Stanford) | 3 | 6–7 | 230 | |
| Senior | Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville) | 4 | 6–9 | 220 | |
| ESPN rank | Incoming freshmen | ||||
| 10 (Class of 2024) | Elliot Cadeau (5 star) | PG | 6–0 | 175 | |
| 27 | Simeon Wilcher (4 star) | 2 | 6–3 | 185 | |
| 64 | Zayden High (4 star) | 4 | 6–9 | 225 | |
| | | Eligibility over | | | |
| | Leaky Black | 3 | 6–9 | 205 | |
| | Pete Nance | 4 | 6–11 | 230 | |
| Outgoing transfers | |||||
| Caleb Love (Arizona) | 2 | 6–4 | 200 | ||
| Dontrez Styles (Georgetown) | 4 | 6–6 | 210 | ||
| Tyler Nickel (Va. Tech) | 3 | 6–7 | 220 | ||
| Justin McKoy (Hawaii) | 4 | 6–8 | 220 | ||
| Puff Johnson (Penn State) | 3 | 6–8 | 200 | ||
| Will Shaver (UAB) | 5 | 6–10 | 260 | ||
| In transfer portal | |||||
| D’Marco Dunn | 3 | 6–5 | 190 | ||
| ESPN rank | 2024–25 freshman class | ||||
| 5 | Ian Jackson (5 star) | 2 | 6–5 | 180 | |
| 37 | Drake Powell (4 star) | 3 | 6–5 | 185 | |
| 48 | James Brown (4 star) | 5 | 6–9 | 225 |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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