After narrowly sneaking into the NCAA Tournament on a Selection Sunday surprise, Hubert Davis needed to take a big step forward in 2025-26 to cool down the ever-rising temperature on his seat in Chapel Hill. However, heading into his fifth year as the head coach of the Tar Heels, Davis has had a disastrous start to the transfer portal cycle, watching starting point guard Elliot Cadeau leave for Michigan, veteran forward Jalen Washington head to Vanderbilt, and former five-star Ian Jackson depart the program after just one season.
Davis has made some important additions, landing Jonathan Powell from West Virginia and Henri Veesaar from Arizona. Still, to turn the tide back in his favor and offset the loss of Jackson, who was expected to be a foundational piece for the Tar Heels, he may need to secure another Big 12 transfer and the nephew of a WNBA legend.
On3’s @PeteNakos_ has logged a prediction for North Carolina to land BYU transfer SF Kanon Catchings🐏https://t.co/TJZ4QebnDZ pic.twitter.com/doj0yxBlDK
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) April 8, 2025
Kanon Catchings favored to join the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal
While he’s not a one-to-one replacement for Jackson’s shot-making, Kanon Catchings will provide much-needed depth on the wing for Davis. North Carolina was able to retain 6-foot-3 guard Seth Trimble for his senior year, but at 6-foot-9, Catchings will make the Tar Heels more switchable defensively with his rare length.
One of North Carolina’s biggest issues last season, especially against Duke’s massive starting five, was its lack of positional size. The Tar Heels' four leading scorers, RJ Davis, Jackson, Trimble, and Caedeau are all 6-foot-4 or shorter, which made it difficult for Davis’s group on the defensive end. While Catchings’ offensive game needs refinement, he’s already a disruptive and athletic defender with serious positional size on the wing. His ultimate destiny is as a 3-and-D shooter, which is much more valuable in a 6-foot-9 frame than a 6-foot-3 one.
As a freshman at BYU, Catchings averaged 7.2 points a game on 41/58/35 shooting splits. His lack of touch at the free throw line is concerning, but he was able to knock down left-corner threes at a 46 percent clip and hit 32 percent from the right corner.
Catchings won’t fill the playmaking void left by Jackson, Cadeau, and Davis, who is finally out of eligibility after a legendary career, but if he lands in Chapel Hill, it will still be a meaningful addition for Davis as he looks to add length and strength for 2025-26.