North Carolina has wasted no time getting into the 2027 race, and the early list of targets already gives a clear picture of what Michael Malone wants to build in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels are coming off a stretch that has pushed their focus toward the 2026-27 college basketball season, and Malone’s first full recruiting cycle is taking shape fast. After being forced to assemble this year’s roster through the transfer portal, he finally gets a chance to put his own freshman class at the center of the program’s future.
That process is already underway. UNC has hosted several 5-star prospects over the last two weekends, and a few names stand out as the most realistic fits.
The headliner is Rosser, a 6-foot-9, 195-pound power forward ranked by ESPN as the No. 3 recruit in the 2027 class. His upside is obvious. Rosser has shown signs that he can grow into a reliable perimeter shooter, and his athleticism gives him the kind of versatility that lets him fill multiple roles on the floor.
There is no shortage of competition. Louisville, North Carolina State, Miami, Kentucky, USC, and Arkansas are all involved.
Still, UNC has a few things working in its favor. Rosser is from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, and the Tar Heels were the first school to officially bring him to campus.
Page, another North Carolina native, was on campus at the same time as Rosser. He checks in as the No. 14 prospect in the class, and his game fits the kind of player Malone has repeatedly shown interest in: someone who can work off the ball and contribute in a variety of ways on offense. With UNC making such a broad push in this class, Page’s visit alongside Rosser could matter.
Anderson is the latest recruit to make the trip to Chapel Hill, and his visit says plenty about how serious UNC is about the 2027 class. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound guard moved up his official visit with the Tar Heels and canceled a planned trip to USC.
That’s notable because UNC has already reshaped its backcourt this offseason with Terrence Brown, Neoklis Avdalas, and Matt Able. Even so, there’s a real chance all three won’t be on the roster next season, which keeps the door open for another impact guard. Anderson, ranked as the No. 11 prospect in next year’s class, fits that need as a downhill, explosive guard.
Plenty of programs are still in the mix for Anderson, but the decision to move his visit to Chapel Hill gives North Carolina a strong opening in that recruitment.
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UNCs staff has been building a relationship with Betts while schools like Michigan and Illinois have already hosted him, and Alabama is also lined up for a future visit. For the Tar Heels, getting in early matters with a player of that size and ceiling, because the race for elite frontcourt talent tends to move fast once the major programs start pressing their cases. [Read more 🡒]
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