The UNC men’s basketball program enters its 2026-27 campaign with a 3-man high school recruiting class, most recently flipping Kevin Thomas from LSU.
Also joining the Tar Heels are Malloy Smith, son of program legend Kenny Smith and brother of KJ Smith, plus Maximo Adams. North Carolina had a commitment from Dylan Mingo, but he’s now with Baylor.
Looking ahead, UNC also has a pretty solid 2027 recruiting class, which just grew by an addition. On Tuesday, A.J. Williams reclassified from the 2028 recruiting class.
Williams, previously the top-ranked played in ’28, is considering the Tar Heels amongst a group of eight other schools: Duke, Auburn, BYU, UConn, Georgia, Illinois, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State. With Williams’ reclassification, another North Carolina target, Yann Kamagate, takes the class of 2028’s top spot in recruiting ranks. Kamagate also has offers from Baylor, UCLA, Kansas, USC, Alabama, Houston, Texas A&M, Arizona, Creighton, Nebraska and Washington.
Williams, a small forward who plays his high school basketball at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Ga., is one of 11 players in the 2027 class holding a UNC offer. With his reclassification, Williams is also eligible for the 2028 NBA Draft, which he is currently projected to be a lottery pick in.
The Tar Heels’ ’28 recruiting class looks much smaller in comparison, with Kamagate one of just four players to hold an offer, joining Dylan Betts, Brady Pettigrew and Colton Hiller.
2026-27 is a pivotal season for North Carolina, which enters year one of the Michael Malone era. If UNC enjoys a successful season and wins a few NCAA Tournament games, expect a few commitments.
