Several Mountaineer players have announced their entrance into the transfer portal both prior to and following the departure of head coach Darian DeVries to Indiana. One of the biggest names to do so is Jonathan Powell who had a solid first season with the Mountaineers as a true freshman.
Now, Powell has landed on his new home. Ironically, the school that Powell has chosen was the last team selected for the NCAA Tournament field, while the Mountaineers were the first team left out -- Powell told On3 Sports he'll be headed to North Carolina.
The Tar Heels did not have a long run in The Big Dance -- after a dominant win over San Diego State in the First Four, the Rebels of Ole Miss proved to be too much for the Heels in the Round of 64.
BREAKING: West Virginia transfer guard Jonathan Powell has committed to North Carolina, he tells @On3sports.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 2, 2025
The 6-6 freshman averaged 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this season. Powell knocked down 64 three pointers, leading all freshmen in the Big 12 conference.… pic.twitter.com/E4lerXRy2c
Jonathan Powell
| 8.3 points per game | 3.1 rebounds per game | 35.2% 3PT on 5.7 attempts per game | 23 starts in 32 games played
Powell had an immediate impact as a true freshman scoring in double figures in each of his first four collegiate appearances. After the season-ending injury to starter Tucker DeVries, Powell would be asked to play a much bigger role for the Mountaineers.
He was inserted into the starting lineup and was a significant contributor for WVU throughout conference play. Powell knocked down three buckets from three-point range en route to an 11-point performance in WVU’s narrow victory over the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse.
He immediately followed that up with a 17-point performance in a win at home over Oklahoma State just a few days later. In 20 regular season Big 12 contests, Powell reached double-figure scoring nine separate times. On the season, Powell knocked down 64 triples to lead all Big 12 freshmen.
The departure of the 6’6”, 190-pound freshmen is not the only hole that new head coach Ross Hodge will be looking to fill. Joining Powell in the portal are the likes of Sencire Harris, Amani Hansberry, KJ Tenner, and of course, Tucker DeVries, who is falling his father to Indiana.
The type of role that Powell will be asked to play in Chapel Hill remains to be seen of course, but it is no surprise that a team of UNC’s caliber showed interest in the freshman from Dayton, Ohio.
Certainly, Powell will look to add more consistency to his game as he proved to be a little unreliable at times (as many shooters can be from game to game) for the Mountaineer offense. At times, Powell was able to provide an added scoring punch, while other times he was not able to. Now, we'll see what he does at one of the most prestigious programs in the sport.