UNC guard Isaiah Denis, who spent his freshman season as part of the 2025-26 Tar Heels, announced Sunday he will be entering the transfer portal when it opens Tuesday, April 7. Denis made the announcement on his Instagram page.

Denis arrived at Chapel Hill as a four-star prospect from Davidson Day School in the Charlotte area. He was rated as a top 50 player in his class by 247 Sports.

Despite those credentials, Denis appeared in only 10 games as a freshman, never playing more than eight minutes in any appearance. Relegated to a reserve role, he did not play in a single game after Feb. 17. Denis finished his freshman season averaging 1.9 points per game.

In his announcement, Denis did leave open the possibility of withdrawing from the portal and returning to UNC for his sophomore season, following a similar path to Seth Trimble between his sophomore and junior campaigns. Denis cited the “coaching uncertainty” surrounding the UNC program as a reason for entering the portal. The Tar Heels’ head coaching position has been vacant for nearly two weeks following the dismissal of Hubert Davis on Tuesday, March 24.

Denis is the first Tar Heel to officially announce he is entering the transfer portal.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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