By R.L. Bynum

Carolina missed a chance at getting Jarin Stevenson when he was a four-star high school recruit out of nearby Seaforth High School in Chatham County, but the Tar Heels made good on a second shot at the 2023 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.

According to multiple reports, Stevenson, a 6–11, 215-pound forward and a rising junior, has committed to UNC after averaging only 18.7 minutes, 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds last season for Alabama.

The news comes on the same day that another UNC target, BYU’s Kanon Catchings, committed to Georgia after visiting Carolina on Friday.

Stevenson is the third player UNC has snagged from the transfer portal after 7–0 redshirt junior former Arizona center Henri Veesaar and 6–2 junior former Colorado State point guard Kyan Evans. UNC went into the offseason with no rising juniors but now has three.

If Drake Powell returns for his sophomore season, he’d play with a player he faced in high school playing for another school in Chatham County: Northwood High School. They played together as freshmen at Northwood when the Chargers made the state championship game.

Stevenson was the third Alabama player to enter the transfer portal after Mo Dioubate, who has committed to Kentucky, and Naas Cunningham.

Stevenson, whose mother Nicole Walker Stevenson played for three ACC championship teams from 1995 to 1998, picked Alabama over UNC, Missouri and Virginia as the No. 41 player in the Class of 2023.

The Tide has won both meetings with UNC during Stevenson’s career. He was scoreless in 15 minutes with four rebounds in the Tide’s 89–87 Sweet 16 victory over UNC in 2024 and had six points and three rebounds in 16 minutes during Alabama’s 94–79 victory on Dec. 4 in the Smith Center.

His best career game was in Alabama’s 103–80 victory at Texas on Feb. 11 when he collected 22 points, four 3-pointers, four rebounds and a block. He has 13 career double-figure scoring games, including 19 points and a career-high five 3-pointers in the Tide’s 89–82 Elite Eight victory over Clemson in 2024.

Stevenson has 14 career games with multiple 3-pointers, six with at least three, three with at least four and the career-high against Clemson.

He started 22 of 37 games for Alabama last season but only started once in the last 12 games, that coming in the 90–81 first-round NCAA tournament victory over Robert Morris.

UNC roster

(Next season’s classes listed)

No.	Class	Player	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt
	Freshman	Caleb Wilson (5 star)	4	6–9	205
	Freshman	Isaiah Denis (4 star)	CG	6–5	175
	Freshman	Derek Dixon (4 star)	CG	6-3	190
	Freshman	Luca Bogavac	W	6-5	201
	Sophomore	Jonathan Powell	G	6-6	191
2	Sophomore	James Brown	5	6–8	225
1	Sophomore	Zayden High	4	6–9	225
	Junior	Luca Bogavac	W	6-5	201
	Junior	Jaydon Young	2	6–4	205
	RS junior	Henri Veesaar	5	7–0	235
	Junior	Kyan Evans	1	6–2	175
	Junior	Jarin Stevenson	4	6–11	215
7	Senior	Seth Trimble	2	6–3	195
		Walk-ons
15	Sophomore	John Holbrook	4	6–8	230
14	Junior	Russell Hawkins	2	6–1	175
6	RS Senior	Elijah Davis	2	6–4	197

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UNC players entering portal

Player	Class next season	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt	Next school
Elliot Cadeau	Junior	PG	6–1	180	Michigan
Jalen Washington	Senior	C	6–10	235	Vanderbilt
Ian Jackson	Sophomore	G	6–4	190	St. John’s
Cade Tyson	Senior	F	6–7	200	Minnesota
Ven-Allen Lubin	Senior	C	6–8	230	N.C. State

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UNC schedule

Oct. 24 — Exhibition vs. BYU at Delta Center in Salt Lake City
Nov. 3 — vs. Central Arkansas (finished 9–24, 349th in KenPom; first meeting)
Nov. 7 — vs. Kansas (21–13; 24th; lost to Arkansas in first round of NCAA tournament; series tied at 6)
Nov. 11 — vs. Radford (20–13, 151st; UNC leads series 3–0)
Nov. 17 or 18 — vs. Navy (15–19, 276th; Navy leads 14–6)
Nov. 25 — vs. St. Bonaventure, likely at 6 p.m. (21–11; 97th; lost to Kent State in first round of the NIT; UNC leads 1–0) in Fort Myers Tip-Off
Nov. 27 — vs. Michigan State, likely 4:30 p.m. (30–7; 7th; lost to Auburn in Elite Eight; UNC leads 13–4) in Fort Myers Tip-Off
Likely December (TBA) — vs. Georgetown (18–16; 90th; Georgetown leads 5–4)
Dec. 2 — at Kentucky in ACC/SEC Challenge (24–12, 16th; UNC leads 25–18)
Dec. 13 — USC Upstate (6–26, 340th; first meeting)
Dec. 20 — CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta against Ohio State (17–15; 37th; UNC leads 13–3)
Dec. 22 — vs. East Carolina (19–14; 176th; UNC leads 4–0)
Date TBA — vs. N.C. Central (10–19; 319th; UNC leads 3–0)
One more nonconference game
Likely Feb. 1 or Feb. 8 — vs. Duke (35–4; 1st; UNC leads 145–120)
Likely March 7 — at Duke
ACC games
Home and home vs. Duke and Syracuse
Other home games against Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest
Other road games against California, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, SMU, Stanford and Virginia

Photo via rolltide.com