The North Carolina Tar Heels are ramping up their efforts on the 2026 recruiting trail, extending offers to a dozen top prospects and zeroing in on elite talent for a potential championship run.
Head coach Hubert Davis is prioritizing early visits and building strong relationships with some of the best high school players in the country. With several five-star athletes considering Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels are making their intentions clear: they want to remain at the forefront of college basketball.
North Carolina Basketball Planning Recruiting Weekend in September for 2026 Class
This offseason, North Carolina has been active in the transfer portal and is now turning its focus to high school recruiting. The Tar Heels are set to host two highly ranked prospects, five-star power forward Toni Bryant and four-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr., for official visits on September 1, per On3.
The early timing of these visits shows that Davis has identified both players as top priorities for the 2026 class.
Bryant, who stands at 6’9″, is ranked No. 13 nationally and is considered one of the best frontcourt talents in the country. As a junior, he averaged 21 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 6.5 blocks while shooting 43 percent from three-point range. Bryant is also being recruited by Missouri, Michigan, NC State, and several other major programs.
Rippey, a 6’2″ guard, brings elite playmaking skills and is seen as a strong fit for North Carolina’s backcourt needs. The Tar Heels are competing with Louisville, Alabama, Texas, Kentucky, and other top programs for his commitment. Rippey was named Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey and averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.9 rebounds during the 2024-25 season.
The focus on early official visits for Bryant and Rippey signals North Carolina’s intent to secure commitments from its highest-priority targets before the recruiting cycle heats up.
Expanding the Board: Multiple Five-Star Prospects in Play
Beyond the September visitors, North Carolina is actively recruiting several other elite prospects. Among them is Dylan Mingo, a five-star guard ranked in the top 10 nationally. Mingo, who recently received a Tar Heels offer, is planning a visit to Chapel Hill.
He is also considering Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Louisville, Texas, NC State, and UConn. At the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Mingo put up 30 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists in a comeback win, highlighting his ability to impact the game in multiple ways.
Dylan Mingo has vaulted into the Top 10 after stellar performances, and earned a UNC offer from Hubert Davis.
Read more about the New York guard (VIP): https://t.co/3J9WxHsToj pic.twitter.com/B3ce7Gornw
— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) June 26, 2025
North Carolina is also pursuing five-star forward Miikka Muurinen, an international prospect whose mother, Jenni Laaksonen, reportedly played for the Tar Heels in the early 2000s.
Muurinen, a 6’10” standout, is being recruited by Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and Indiana, and he averaged 21.4 points on 61.8 percent shooting at the 2023 Nike EYBL Peach Jam.
The Tar Heels have extended recent offers to top-15 recruit Qayden Samuels and five-star Tajh Ariza, the son of former NBA player Trevor Ariza. Samuels, a 6’5″ guard, has scored more than 25 points in several games at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, showing off his shooting and scoring ability.
Ariza, a 6’8″ forward, led Westchester High School to a Los Angeles City Section championship and was named the section’s co-player of the year. He holds offers from Oregon, Alabama, Texas, Kentucky, and USC.
Still, local talent remains a key part of North Carolina’s recruiting approach. Cole Cloer, a 6’7″ forward from Hillsborough, North Carolina, has been a priority target for more than a year. Cloer averaged 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks as a junior, shooting 41 percent from three and 51 percent from the field.
He is also being recruited by Florida, Alabama, NC State, and Virginia. With multiple programs making strong pushes, Davis will need to continue building relationships to keep Cloer in-state.
Meanwhile, five-star prospects Caleb Holt and Jordan Smith Jr. both hold offers from North Carolina, but neither has listed the Tar Heels among their top choices. This suggests that their recruitments may be trending elsewhere as other programs gain traction.
Other notable names on North Carolina’s radar include Tyran Stokes, the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class. Cameron Holmes, a top-20 recruit, and Anthony Thompson, a five-star forward, also have Tar Heels offers as Davis continues to shape his recruiting board.
The 2026 class gives Davis the chance to blend top high school talent with experienced transfer portal players. With many high school recruits committing later in the process, early visits like those from Bryant and Rippey are crucial for building strong connections and setting the tone for the rest of the recruiting cycle.
