Caleb Love will leave North Carolina, enter transfer portal

North Carolina star guard Caleb Love plans to enter the transfer portal, he announced Monday on social media.

"My time at UNC has been rewarding and has inspired me to grow on and off the court," he said, before thanking former coach Roy Williams for recruiting him out of high school and Hubert Davis for the past two years.

"I've taken some time with my family to re-evaluate what's best for me to continue to grow as a player and I've decided to enter the transfer portal to continue my journey."

with love, the journey continues...???????? pic.twitter.com/hnVddUAbo3

— Caleb Love (@caleb2love) March 27, 2023

Love, a 6-foot-4 guard from St. Louis, is arguably the biggest name in the transfer portal to date. He averaged a career-high 16.7 points this season, shooting 37.8% from the field, while also contributing 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

The former five-star recruit boosted his stock during North Carolina's run to the national championship game last season, averaging 18.8 points in six NCAA tournament games. He scored 30 points and made six 3-pointers against UCLA in the Sweet 16, then went for 28 points against Duke in the Final Four.

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After his breakout tournament run, Love opted to return to Chapel Hill for another season instead of entering the NBA draft. Despite bringing back Love and three other starters, North Carolina missed the NCAA tournament this year after opening the season ranked No. 1.

Love was also recruited by Missouri, Louisville, Kansas, Indiana and Arizona out of high school. Four of those schools have different coaches now. He will have two seasons of eligibility at his new school.