By R.L. Bynum
Carolina missed out on Jarin Stevenson when he was a four-star prospect at Seaforth High School in Chatham County, but the Tar Heels might get another opportunity to land the 2023 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
Per multiple reports, the 6-foot-11, 215-pound forward — now a rising junior — entered the transfer portal on Wednesday with a “do not contact” designation. Stevenson averaged just 18.7 minutes, 5.4 points, and 3.4 rebounds last season at Alabama.
As Carolina also makes a strong push for BYU’s Kanon Catchings, the question arises: will Coach Hubert Davis attempt to bring in both players? Stevenson has also been linked to N.C. State as a potential landing spot.
He’s the third Alabama player to hit the portal, following Mo Dioubate, who is now committed to Kentucky, and Naas Cunningham.
Stevenson, whose mother Nicole Walker Stevenson was part of three ACC championship teams at UNC from 1995 to 1998, chose Alabama over UNC, Missouri, and Virginia, ranking as the No. 41 prospect in the 2023 class.
During Stevenson’s time at Alabama, the Tide went 2–0 against UNC. In the 2024 Sweet 16, Stevenson played 15 minutes and grabbed four rebounds but didn’t score in Alabama’s 89–87 win. He also contributed six points and three rebounds in 16 minutes in the Tide’s 94–79 win at the Smith Center on December 4.
His standout performance came in Alabama’s 103–80 road win over Texas on February 11, when he tallied 22 points, hit four three-pointers, and added four rebounds and a block. Over his career, he’s reached double figures 13 times, including a 19-point effort with a career-best five threes in Alabama’s 89–82 Elite Eight win over Clemson in 2024.
Stevenson has hit multiple threes in 14 career games, with six games of at least three, three games of four or more, and the Clemson game standing as his career high.
He started 22 of 37 games for Alabama last season but saw his starting role diminish down the stretch, with only one start in the final 12 games — the Tide’s 90–81 first-round NCAA Tournament win over Robert Morris.
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