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Five-Star Jarin Stevenson Includes Virginia in Top 3, Decision Looming

The prized big man is down to a final three of Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama and will reportedly make his decision "by this weekend"

Matt Newton

Jarin Stevenson/Twitter
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The Jarin Stevenson recruiting saga is nearing its conclusion. The highly-coveted five-star power forward out of the recruiting class of 2024 has cut his recruitment down to a final three of Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama and his college decision could come as early as this weekend. 

According to a report from Travis Branham of 247Sports, Stevenson had this to say regarding a possible timeline for his decision: "I am hoping by this weekend that I can make that decision."

A 6'10", 200-pound forward from Seaforth High School in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Stevenson is rated a five-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, which also ranks him as the No. 3 power forward in the class of 2024, the No. 2 player in the state of North Carolina, and the No. 16 overall recruit in the country. He averaged 21.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game as a junior and was named the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year. 

Stevenson was the first recruit in the class of 2024 to receive an offer from Virginia and he ended up collecting an impressive handful of high-major offers before ultimately trimming his list down to a top 3 of UVA, UNC, and Alabama. He has now taken official visits to each of his finalist schools, beginning with Virginia back in April, followed by Alabama in May, and ending with a trip to North Carolina last weekend. 

North Carolina is considered the frontrunner right now, as Stevenson has taken the short 30-minute trip from Pittsboro to Chapel Hill numerous times over the last couple of years and his mother, Nicole (Walker) Stevenson, played for the UNC women's basketball program in the 1990s. 

With that said, don't count out Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers yet. The Wahoos took their best shot at courting Stevenson on his official visit back in April and it seemed like he thoroughly enjoyed his time on Grounds and getting to know the UVA coaching staff and players. 

The Tar Heels already have three commits in their 2024 recruiting class, including two five-stars and a four-star, whereas Stevenson would be the first verbal commit and the focal point of Virginia's 2024 recruiting class. Stevenson would also be by far the highest-rated recruit to commit to Virginia in this era of modern recruiting tracking. 

Stevenson is still pondering the option of reclassifying up to the class of 2023 - which would mean he would enroll in college this fall - but that decision won't be made until later this summer. But it seems that Jarin Stevenson's ultimate college decision will be announced within the next few days. 

Stay updated on all the latest Virginia basketball recruiting news, including offers, visits, and commitments here: Latest Virginia Basketball Recruiting News and Updates

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.

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