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

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 Season
As Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]
Update: Florida Atlantic's Maxim Logue No Longer Expected to Join UNC
Update: Inside Carolina reported Thursday afternoon that Florida Atlantic’s Maxim Logue is “no longer expected” to transfer to UNC this offseason. Breaking: Maxim Logue is no longer expected to transfer to UNC, sources have confirmed. The Florida Atlantic reserve post player's commitment was announced on April 21. Story: https://t.co/eusOm2uKnu pic.twitter.com/tmAiJa0DXu — InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) April 30, […]
Northwestern's Cade Bennerman Announces Commitment to UNC Men's Basketball
Cade Bennerman, who spent his freshman season at Northwestern, announced his commitment to UNC out of the transfer portal Monday. Bennerman, a seven-foot center, arrived at Northwestern as a three-star recruit out of high school who 247 Sports ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee. He was a star at Nashville’s […]
Stay Or Go? Player Movement Changes Tenor of College Basketball Offseason – Stroman on Sports (Apr. 24, 2026)
The Hill's Deborah Stroman and Brighton McConnell chat on Friday, April 24 as the college basketball transfer portal season pushes on and the deadline for the NBA Draft entry approaches.
NC State's Matt Able Commits to UNC Men's Basketball Out of Transfer Portal
The Tar Heels are bringing in a familiar face out of the transfer portal. Matt Able, who spent his freshman season at NC State, announced his commitment to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the portal Tuesday. As a rising sophomore, Able will have three years of eligibility remaining. Inside Carolina first reported […]
Utah Transfer Terrence Brown Commits to UNC Men's Basketball
Terrence Brown, who spent the 2025-26 season with Utah, committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal on Tuesday. Brown, who will have one season of eligibility remaining, first made the announcement through On3’s Joe Tipton before sharing his own commitment post. View this post on Instagram NEWS: Utah transfer […]
Tracking Which UNC Men's Basketball Players Have Entered the 2026 Transfer Portal
The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal opened Tuesday, April 7, the day after the national championship game. Following UNC head coach Hubert Davis’ dismissal on March 24, several Tar Heels have entered their names into the portal and pursue other opportunities. Here’s a list of which players have either made announcements or are reported to […]
Chansky's Notebook: No Guarantees
College athletics has become a world of agents who enter into bidding wars. How will that complicate Michael Malone's first UNC roster?
Zayden High Enters Transfer Portal, Open to Return After Turbulent 3 Years with UNC Basketball
Sophomore Zayden High shared Tuesday he plans to enter the transfer portal, but is leaving open a return to UNC men's basketball.
UNC Guard Isaiah Denis Entering Transfer Portal, But Open to Returning to Chapel Hill
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. View this post on Instagram Denis arrived at Chapel Hill as a four-star prospect from Davidson […]
›