Michael Malone’s early run at UNC has already started to show up where it matters most: on the recruiting trail.
The Tar Heels have made noise in the transfer portal and picked up international wins, but the bigger long-term sign for the program is how many elite high school prospects are already leaning in. That matters because one of the early knocks on Malone was whether he could really go head-to-head for top prep talent. So far, that concern is fading fast.
One of the biggest names in the mix is Demarcus Henry, the small forward who is the younger brother of 5-star Ohio State freshman wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. Henry, the No. 4 player in the class of 2027, spoke with 247Sports reporter David Sisk at the Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC, and made it clear UNC has his attention. He said the Tar Heels have been showing him a bunch of "love" and that Malone has been putting in real work.
Henry also recently trimmed his list to eight schools, with North Carolina among the finalists. The full group includes Arkansas, BYU, Ohio State, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, and UConn.
That is a heavy-duty field, and UNC is going to have to fight for every inch here. Ohio State, in particular, figures to be a major obstacle given Henry’s family connection and the fact that his brother is headed there.
Still, if Henry is looking at this through a basketball lens, UNC has a strong case. Ohio State’s hoops brand doesn’t carry the same weight as Carolina’s, and the Tar Heels can sell him on development and a path to the league. There’s no timetable yet for Henry to shut things down, but visits are expected later this year, and Malone will try to get him to the Dean Dome sooner rather than later.
UNC is also in the hunt for another elite 2027 name: Beckham Black.
Black, the No. 1 player in the country for the class of 2027, is another major target the Tar Heels are pushing hard for. He is set to take an official visit to UNC later this year, though the date has not been announced. That alone is a meaningful step for Malone and his staff.
Black has also lined up a trip to Austin to meet with Texas. He has 24 offers right now, and while the race is still early, multiple schools are starting to separate themselves a bit. UNC is one of them.
For Malone, the challenge now is straightforward: keep the momentum going and turn all this early interest into something real. With Henry and Black both on the board, the Tar Heels are already making their presence felt with the best of the best.
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