The North Carolina Tar Heels have their first big recruiting win under new head coach Michael Malone. In his first year on the job, Malone has had the chance to work on the 2027 recruiting class, the first one he’s been able to actively recruit since taking the job. And now he has his big fish.
On Friday, the Tar Heels earned a commitment from five-star small forward DeMarcus Henry. The talented prospect out of Compass Prep committed to the Tar Heels live on ESPN’s NBA Today show, picking UNC after visiting the program last weekend.
Henry picked North Carolina over Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisville. He took visits to all of his finalists and had this date predetermined because it was on his birthday. After the visit last weekend, Malone and the UNC staff also made a trip to Arizona to visit Henry and make one final push. It paid off.
The 6-foot-7, 190-pound Henry is a Charlotte native who moved out to Arizona and plays at Compass Prep. He’s ranked No. 4 nationally, No. 1 small forward, and the No. 1 player in the state of Arizona per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.
With North Carolina landing a top recruit, Malone is off to a good start in the 2027 class, with a few big targets still left. Getting off to this start is huge in terms of the 2027 recruiting class and the shaping of their future roster.
