UNC Basketball Might Be Less Than Two Weeks Away From Its First 2025 Recruiting Prize

It’s been around 20 months since UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis and his team secured a commitment from a recruit. However, that wait could come to an end by the end of this month.

Derek Dixon, a four-star senior from Gonzaga College High School in D.C. and a key target for the Tar Heels, recently told League Ready that he has set a decision date for September 27, which will also be his 18th birthday.

2025 4⭐️ Derek Dixon told @LeagueRDY he’s set to make his college announcement on September 27th. He’s currently down to six schools:

Pitt
Virginia
Syracuse
North Carolina
Vanderbilt
Arizona

Dixon has taken officials to Vandy, North Carolina, Syracuse, Pitt and Virginia. #51 in… pic.twitter.com/m3omi4S7vl

— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) September 13, 2024

Dixon, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound versatile backcourt player ranked No. 47 overall and No. 8 among combo guards in the 247Sports 2025 Composite, has narrowed his choices to six schools. His finalists include four ACC programs—UNC, Pitt, Virginia, and Syracuse—alongside Vanderbilt and Arizona.

The Tar Heels, who officially offered Dixon back in late May, secured the final visit of his recruitment. He canceled a planned trip to Arizona, which was scheduled for the past weekend, shortly after visiting the UNC basketball program in person earlier this month.

He visited Vanderbilt the weekend before.

The Tar Heels are also focusing on several other top targets in the 2025 recruiting class, including five-star guard Braylon Mullins from Greenfield-Central School (Ind.), four-star guard Acaden Lewis from Sidwell Friends School (D.C.), four-star guard Isaiah Denis from Davidson Day School (N.C.), five-star forward AJ Dybantsa from Utah Prep, five-star forward Nate Ament from Highland School (Va.), five-star forward Niko Bundalo from Prolific Prep (Calif.), and four-star forward Nikolas Khamenia from Harvard-Westlake School (Calif.).