The UNC Tar Heels are bringing in an impressive recruiting class for 2025. However, this one UNC freshman is drawing significant praise.
Top-50 UNC Freshman is Generating Early Hype
Hubert Davis is entering his 5th season as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Heading into this year, Hubert Davis is 101-45 with three NCAA tournament appearances in his four seasons. However, Davis’ tenure has produced very mixed results, including a national championship appearance in his first season but even missing the NCAA tournament his second season. Despite coming off a tournament appearance this season, the Tar Heels underperformed expectations and had to make a late push to qualify for March Madness.
Looking to improve from last season, North Carolina brought in one of the best classes in the country. Headlined by 5-star Caleb Wilson, the Tar Heels’ class ranks top-5 in the industry rankings (h/t 247Sports). The Tar Heels also brought in a solid transfer class, including Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar. The combination of the new freshman and transfer classes should allow the Tar Heels to go deeper in March. While Caleb Wilson will have plenty of eyes on him, there is one freshman drawing significant praise recently, Derek Dixon.
Top-50 Dixon Could Be a Key Player in Chapel Hill
Out of Gonzaga High School in Washington, DC, four-star Derek Dixon is a combo guard looking to make an immediate impact as a freshman. Dixon was very successful during his last season at Gonzaga High School, helping to lead Gonzaga to the DCSAA Class AA tournament championship. He averaged 14.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while also shooting 38.5 percent from behind the arc. Dixon is strongly considered to be one of the best shooters in the 2025 class. Other features of his game include his handles and his overall ability to be a strong offensive facilitator.
This week, Jon Rothstein made his visit to Chapel Hill to see the Tar Heels in action during practice. Along with his projected lineup and other observations, there was one key takeaway. Jon Rothstein had significant praise for Derek Dixon. Despite not including Derek Dixon in his projected starting five for the Tar Heels, Rothstein mentioned how there was “palpable buzz” around Dixon in camp.
This praise is rather noteworthy since there have been concerns about how freshmen have developed at North Carolina recently. Even if Derek Dixon does not start right away, Rothstein’s intel suggests that Dixon could immediately be a reliable bench scorer and even run the offense if needed. There will be strong competition for playing time, but Dixon looks well on track to being a key bench piece.
The Verdict
This North Carolina team has sky-high expectations heading into Hubert Davis’ 5th season. The ACC is becoming more competitive at the top, but the Tar Heels should be one of the best teams in the conference. Despite the competition for playing time, the emergence of freshman four-star Derek Dixon must not be ignored. Derek Dixon could end up being one of the most important pieces of the 2025/26 Tar Heels squad.
