North Carolina secured the eighth best recruiting class in the country, headlined by Ian Jackson and Drake Powell.
Jeremiah Holloway
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina's freshman additions have gotten experience playing with their new team in practice, and they're leaving an impression on the returning veterans early on.
Ian Jackson, Drake Powell and James Brown make up North Carolina's eighth-ranked freshmen class heading into the 2024-25 season, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Jackson and Powell, who both played in the McDonald's All-American game in April, are the five-star standouts from the group. Brown entered UNC as a three-star center from Chicago, but most recently played at Link Academy in Missouri.
On the other end of the team's age bracket, fifth-year senior RJ Davis has seen the team's youth for himself, and he shared his assessments last week.
"We have a really young team and a new team, but the three freshmen have been really great," RJ Davis told Inside Carolina last week at Dick's House of Sport in Fayetteville. "Their energy's been infectious from Ian to Drake to JB. They've been really good at asking questions, but at the same time, bringing it every day. They compete, which is something that you shouldn't have to ask for freshmen, but you don't have to ask them. They come ready to work every day. And I think that's one thing that really makes them stand out."
Jackson joins a backcourt that features RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble. At 6-foot-5, Jackson possesses the ability look for his shot and create his own offense. Davis, last year's ACC Player of the Year, led the conference with 21.2 points per game. He said he's excited to play with a like-minded scoring guard like Jackson.
"I really love Ian's game," Davis said. "The way he's able to create for his own, and kind of just, you know, score-first kind of guy, but that's the type of mentality that I love because that's how I was. I really love how he's athletic, he gets to his spots, and he's confident within himself."
Jackson averaged 23.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game at Jelly Fam OTE last season. He scored 21 points in the McDonald's All-American game.
Powell, who also played in the Jordan Brand Classic, joins North Carolina from Pittsboro (N.C.) Northwood and is slated to play on the wing. Cadeau, when speaking with reporters at his giveback camp in Hargraves Community Center, raved about Powell and the versatility of his game. He mentioned that Powell, listed at 6-foot-6, could be used in multiple spots on the court.
"I have no clue about positions, but they can literally have him at the one through four," Cadeau said. "If he gets a rebound, I don't even look for the ball. I just start running down the court, because he's a really good ball handler and he makes good decisions."
Both Jackson and Powell were top-two recruits in their respective states and top-five at their positions. They are now part of a UNC team that lost Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan from the starting lineup. The team did add Cade Tyson and Ven-Allen Lubin from the transfer portal in the offseason to supplement those departures.
Cadeau, who cracked the starting lineup early in his freshman year, said he hopes to guide the freshmen where he can during their experience at North Carolina.
"I'm just gonna try to teach them how to play within the system," Cadeau said. "I know Drake and Ian were 'the man' on every team they played on. And now, you're coming in playing with the best player in college, you're playing with a lot of experienced guards. I'm gonna just try to walk them through when to get your shots, how to get your shots and just try to point them in the right direction."
North Carolina won the ACC regular season with a 17-3 conference record last year. The Tar Heels secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Alabama. Hubert Davis enters his fourth year as the team's head coach with the freshmen additions and newly arrived transfers on the roster.
UNC begins the season on Nov. 4 at home against Elon, a game that will serve as the start of the careers of North Carolina's freshmen and the beginning of the end of RJ Davis' time with the Tar Heels. Davis believes that the young newcomers will be ready to contribute when the time comes.
"They all have their own different attributes and different playing styles, but I think one thing about this group of freshmen is they just mesh well together within our team," Davis said. "So I think you're gonna expect a lot of great things from all three of them. Really talented, and they have a lot of potential to be really great."
