"UNC whiff" "Should have fired Hube and rebuilt": Fans react as Kanon Catchings snubs North Carolina for Georgia in latest transfer portal move

Former BYC star Kanon Catchings entered the transfer portal days after the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Cougars in the Sweet 16 of the Big Dance. After a mixed first season under coach Kevin Young, he entered the portal with a "Do not contact" tag. According to an On3 report, the North Carolina Tar Heels were the favorites to land his commitment after he visited Chapel Hill last week.

On Sunday, Catchings announced his commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs instead. He started 15 of his 31 games for the Cougars after beginning the season as a starter before his role changed to a bench role. Catchings averaged 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game on 41.1% shooting from the floor and 35% from beyond the arc.

College basketball fans on X had mixed reactions to Kanon Catchings choosing to join the Bulldogs.

"I wonder what the price tag was," one fan tweeted.

Some fans made fun of North Carolina missing out on Catching's commitment.

"UNC is washed. Should have fired Hube and rebuilt," one fan tweeted.

"UNC whiff," another fan tweeted.

"Sad to said but UNC is the new Indiana," one fan tweeted.

Kanon Catchings stock fell at BYU

According to ESPN, Kanon Catchings was a four-star prospect who flipped his commitment from the Purdue Boilermakers as part of the Class of 2025 and opted to join the BYU Cougars. At the time of his commitment, he was the highest-rated prospect in BYU's history until five-star prospect AJ Dybantsa committed to the program last year to supplant him from the record books.

After starting the season in stellar fashion with double-digit point games against the Baylor Bears, Alabama Crimson Tide and West Virginia Mountaineers, Catching's minutes dwindled as he struggled in Big 12 play. After being projected as a first-round pick by CBS Sports earlier in the season, his stock fell dramatically as he struggled for form.

By the end of the season, Catchings was a rotation option and only managed nine minutes in the Cougars' three NCAA Tournament games accounting for his entry into the transfer portal after the tournament ended.

Catching hails from a family with considerable athletic pedigree. His mother, Tauja Catchings, starred for the Illinois Fighting Illini in college. His aunt, Tamika Catchings, is a former Tennessee Volunteers star and a Pro Basketball Hall of Famer. His grandfather, Harvey Catchings, also played in the NBA for 11 seasons to cement the Georgia guard's athletic pedigree who will have three years of eligibility left.