A promising North Carolina guard departs for a rival ACC program, leaving new leadership to rebuild the roster and face a familiar foe.
North Carolina finally has a head coach, hiring former NBA champion Michael Malone to replace Hubert Davis.
Malone has prior experience as a college assistant, but this will be his first time being a head coach at the college level.
One of Malone's most important duties is recruiting and constructing a roster that can compete in the ACC and make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
With that being said, Malone and UNC are set to lose a player from Davis' roster last season to the transfer portal.
Per Joe Tipton of On3, UNC guard Jonathan Powell is set to transfer to Pittsburgh.
"NEWS: North Carolina transfer guard Jonathan Powell has committed to Pitt, he told On3," Tipton posted on X. " The 6-foot-6 sophomore began his career at West Virginia."
Fans on social media reacted to Powell choosing another ACC program to play for next season.
"Pitt is getting a decent class together," wrote a fan. "Based on potential so far, it could be good. Results will have to follow. ACC getting much more competitive this year."
"I liked him. Good 3 and D player. Couldn’t break starting line up but great addition for a program like Pitt. Plays with an edge. Takes bad shots on occasion but I liked him as 6/7 man," posted another.
"Congrats to JP. I know he tried hard when he did get some PT but it just wasn’t the right fit," argued a fan.
"He’s the type of player who needs touches to catch fire. Very streaky and you can tell he was itching to get a shot off which led to a lot of bad/forced 3s. Good luck to him!"
"This just feels wrong. Really thought he could have done better. He'll put up some numbers at Pitt though," posted another.
"Wish it was out of conference. These in-conference transfers just feel obnoxious. Wishing him the best, enjoyed him on the Heels," posted a fan.
While Powell might not have been a fit for UNC under Davis, he's a player that the Tar Heels won't want to face in the ACC next season.
It'll be up to Malone to quickly get to work to find elite talent to replace Powell for the 2026-27 campaign.