Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels have been five-star hunting on the recruiting trail.
Identifying players that they believe would be excellent fits in Chapel Hill, Banghart and her staff have been putting in the work to not only show interest in some of the top-tier talents available, but also making a strong push to be heavily considered as a potential future destination for these athletes.
One five-star talent that UNC has its eyes on is Quadace Samuels, the No. 11-ranked player in the Class of 2027 according to SportsCenter NEXT 100. The 6-foot-2 guard from Maryland has received a ton of interest, but is now focusing her recruitment on a set list of programs.
UNC is among Qandace Samuels' top 10 schools
This weekend, Samuels shared with Dushawn London of 247Sports her top 10 schools that she is focusing her recruitment on. North Carolina made the cut, serving as one of four ACC programs who are still very much in the mix.
NEWS: Qandace Samuels, a five-star guard in the class of 2027, is down to 10 schools, @247Sports is told. pic.twitter.com/T8u8zq4l1F
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) August 16, 2026
Samuels is now focusing on the following programs:
Alabama
LSU
North Carolina
NC State
Rutgers
Tennessee
Texas
Vanderbilt
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Samuels uses her height and powerful frame to maneuver past forwards, but can also conduct an offense as well. She has the capability of knocking down shots from beyond the arc, a skill set that will benefit her once she heads to the college ranks.
Could five-star Sydney Savoury be the next elite talent to commit to UNC?
Now, UNC fans might not want to hear this, but their biggest competition for this talented prospect might just be that school from Raleigh.
Her older sister, Qadence Samuels, currently plays at NC State and is heading into her senior season. With the new NCAA eligibility rules, it's possible that she could stay in Raleigh for one more year, providing her the opportunity to potentially team up with her sister.
UNC firmly in the mix for a 2027 five-star whose recruitment starts to heat up
Regardless, Banghart and the Tar Heels will continue to make a strong effort to lure her to Chapel Hill, using their recent recruiting success to prove that North Carolina is the place to be. The Tar Heels have been heavily active in a handful of recruitment battles featuring some of the top 2027 prospects available, and based on recent history, you could project that UNC will land at least one top-tier talent within this recruiting cycle.
Let's face it: prospects and their families are understanding what's brewing in Chapel Hill and want to be part of that.
UNC has been trending upwards ever since Banghart took over the reigns, and that climb is still very much in progress. While there are hurdles the program looks to overcome, most notably making it past the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, the recruiting aspect has been on fire for the program as they secured some elite talent to help make that push.
Kate Harpring was the big fish that UNC secured during the last recruiting cycle. The question remains: who will be next to join her in Chapel Hill?
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