A top-5 ranked 2026 prospect will no longer visit the UNC basketball program

Cameron Williams has risen up the recruiting rankings, but his interest in the UNC basketball program has seemed to dwindle.

After originally scheduling a visit to Chapel Hill on November 7, Williams, a five-star prospect who is regarded by 247Sports as the No. 4 overall player in the Class of 2026, has elected to cancel that visit. Dushawn London was the first with the news.

This decision essentially takes North Carolina out of the mix for Williams, a player that they've been recruiting since July. Since that initial interest, Williams has risen from the No. 11-ranked player in his graduating class to a top-five prosect, jumping seven spots in the rankings since that initial report came out in the middle of August.

In this day and age, recruits cancelling visits has become common. Just a few days ago, fellow Class of 2026 recruit Tahj Ariza cancelled his visit to North Carolina, indicating that he has already eliminated the Tar Heels from contention in his recruitment.

While some will freak out about how the "UNC basketball program can't recruit big-time prospects," or how "Hubert Davis and his staff can't recruit," this actually could be seen as a good thing for the Tar Heels on the recruiting trail.

Even though they would have loved to have earned a commitment from Williams, him cancelling his visit allows them to focus more on other prospects that have mutual interest in the UNC basketball program. Let's remember: no program lands every player they have interest in; it's a matter of finding the ones who are the best fits for your team's needs in the future.

While the writing on the wall indicates that the Tar Heels are out on Cameron Williams, they already have a plan in place of how they will continue to attack on the recruiting trail.