After missing out on Towson transfer Nick Timberlake earlier this week, Hubert Davis just landed his third transfer this off-season, in Cormac Ryan of Notre Dame. Ryan has spent the last couple of seasons at Notre Dame, playing for Mike Brey, where he thrived in a floor-spacing offensive system. This past season, Ryan averaged a career-high 12.3 points per game, on 41% shooting from the field, and 34% from behind the three-point line. For his career, Ryan is a 35% three-point shooter, as one of the focuses of the off-season has been to add perimeter shooting after Carolina produced the second-worst three-point shooting team in program history last season.
At 6-5, Ryan does add size to Carolina’s backcourt, which is needed after seeing Caleb Love transfer out of the program. After transferring from Stanford, Ryan has spent the last four years at Notre Dame. One of the things that Hubert Davis has done since he became the head coach of the Tar Heels, has been to recruit guys that are in the portal from the ACC, having previously landed Justin McKoy from Virginia, and Jae’Lyn Withers this portal cycle from Louisville. His experience of playing in the ACC is as valuable as his perimeter shooting, as during the transfer portal era, older teams have won more often than not in March, something Carolina is looking to seek after missing the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Carolina hasn't had the type of success in the portal you’d think a blue blood program would have, but after going 20-13 in a year where you were the preseason pick to win the national championship, it was going to be hard to sell recruits on the direction of the program. Ryan’s signing makes this the second guard to commit to Carolina this off-season, along with Browns transfer Paxson Wojcik, and with Jae’Lyn Withers being the only wing to commit so far, it’s looking like Carolina will feature a three-guard lineup next season.
Ryan’s commitment could be the start of a big weekend for the program, as coveted Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram is on campus as well visiting, less than a week after Hubert Davis took his entire staff to Ingram’s home for a visit last weekend. Furthermore, Carolina has expressed interest in Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland, a player that could help the Tar Heels in more ways than one if ends up playing at UNC. Nonetheless, this is another step in the right direction as Hubert Davis is determined to return his program to the top of the ACC, and among the nation’s elite.