Can UNC land this talented Class of 2026 small forward?
The North Carolina Tar Heels are acing their 2025 basketball offseason, headlined by recent activity in the transfer portal.
Hubert Davis snagged a top Class of 2025 recruit in Caleb Wilson, who became one of Hubert’s greatest recruiting victories. After UNC largely struck out in the 2024 transfer portal, Hubert is acing the 2025 portal, headlined by landing commitments from 7-foot center Henri Veesaar and projected starting point guard Kyan Evans.
North Carolina is already getting an early start on its 2026 recruiting class, which including offers to 10 5-star recruits. One of those five stars is Anthony Thompson, a 6’8″ small forward from Western Reserve High School in Lebanon, Ohio.
Despite offering Thompson, the Tar Heels didn’t initially know Thompson’s interest in them. That all changed on Friday, April 25, with Thompson naming UNC as one of his final 15 schools.
Thompson is one of four small forwards to receive an offer from North Carolina, along with Cameron Holmes, Tyran Stokes and in-state talent Cole Cloer.
According to On3 Sports, Ohio State is the current (April 25) early favorite to land Thompson at 23.6 percent. Indiana follows the Buckeyes closely, at 20.7%.
Thompson likely won’t narrow his school list down until his senior basketball campaign, which typically starts in later November for high school. If the Tar Heels return to their winning ways during the 2025-2026 college basketball campaign, I bet Thompson includes the Tar Heels amongst his final teams.
With Drake Powell recently declaring for the NBA Draft and uncertainty for UNC at the small forward position, landing a player of Thompson’s caliber is crucial to the future in Chapel Hill.
