The calls for Hubert Davis’s job have grown so loud around Chapel Hill that Roy Williams felt the need to remind the North Carolina fanbase that he handed the basketball program to “the right guy.” However, with the Tar Heels teetering on the bubble at 16-11 (9-6) and in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the second time in Davis’s four years leading the program, even Williams can’t quiet the frustrated masses.
The only way to settle a restless fanbase is to win, either on the court or the recruiting trail. On the floor, Davis’s Tar Heels have won two straight heading into a Saturday matchup with Virginia in Chapel Hill, and on the recruiting trail, Davis, despite his tumultuous season, still has the ear of five-star talent.
North Carolina recently added five-star forward Caleb Wilson to its 2025 recruiting class, with the 6-foot-9 Atlanta native announcing his commitment on TNT’s Inside the NBA, choosing the Tar Heels over Kentucky. Now, with a three-player 2025 class secure, Davis has shifted his focus to the 2026 cycle, offering another 6-foot-9 five-star power forward, Toni Bryant.
Bryant, a Florida product, is the No. 14 player in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite rankings. With that type of profile, North Carolina is not the first to be involved with his recruiting. Bryant holds 19 other offers including Clemson, Kansas, Michigan, Louisville, and Texas.
This past offseason, Davis was unable to replace longtime starting center Armando Bacot, and whiffed in the transfer portal with his additions of Cade Tyson and Ven Allen-Lubin. The lack of front-court depth has wasted the final year of RJ Davis’s storied career in Chapel Hill, so perhaps it’s not surprising that North Carolina has put so much effort into recruiting talented forwards like Wilson and Bryant.
Davis appears poised to survive this season as the program’s head coach, and Williams’s backing might be a big reason why. However, if he continues to recruit at a high level and those players pay off, as freshman guard Ian Jackson has this season, he could be able to win back the fanbase’s support.