The North Carolina Tar Heels continue making waves on the basketball recruiting trail this offseason, as top class of 2026 prospects are either setting visits – or including UNC amongst their final schools.
North Carolina native Cole Cloer, who’ll play his final season of high school basketball at IMG Academy, recently narrowed down his recruiting to include UNC in his final eight. Point guard Deron Rippey Jr., a Top-20 recruit, will visit Chapel Hill over Labor Day weekend.
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According to Tar Heel Times, North Carolina has 17 outstanding offers in its 2026 class. One of those 17 recruits, who would fill a massive need to UNC during the 2026-2027 college basketball season, recently gave some insight into his recruiting process.
Cameron Holmes, a 5-star small forward from Millennium High School in Goodyear, Ariz., told 247Sports that North Carolina is amongst the top five schools recruiting him the hardest. Joining the Tar Heels on this list are Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon and Texas.
Holmes previously received an offer from UNC in September 2024.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Holmes is the class of 2026’s 16th-ranked recruit nationally, fifth-ranked small forward, and third-ranked player from Arizona.
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With Luka Bogavac the only official wing listed on the Tar Heels’ roster, there’s another major future need at this position in Chapel Hill. Bogavac is 21, which is much older than the typical college freshman, but there are years of international pro experience under Bogavac’s belt.
Holmes is one of seven class of 2026 small forwards to hold a UNC offer. The others are Cloer, Qayden Samuels, Anthony Thompson, Tajh Ariza, Tyran Stokes and Bryson Howard.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Cameron Holmes says UNC basketball is recruiting him hard
