GOT 'EM! UNC basketball secures its first 2026 commitment

The wait is over! Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program have secured its first commitment from the 2026 recruiting class.

On Friday afternoon, four-star forward Maximo Adams confirmed that he is committing to North Carolina. He chose the Tar Heels over Kentucky, Michigan State and Texas, the trio of teams who made his short lists of finalists.

Maximo Adams gets the Tar Heels on the board

With the addition of Adams, the UNC basketball program has secured a commitment from a consensus top 25 player for four consecutive recruiting classes. The last time the Tar Heels failed to do so was 2022, Hubert Davis' first full recruiting class as the head coach of the program.

While the 2026 recruiting class hasn't been fruitful for the UNC basketball program up to this point, landing Adams, who was viewed as a top-priority target for North Carolina, is a significant addition. Standing at 6-foot-7, Adams was one of the highest-rising prospects that this class had to offer, as an outstanding summer on the Nike EYBL circuit helped skyrocket his recruitment process.

Playing for the Vegas Elite, Adams averaged 20.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. He connected on 52% of his shots from the field, including an impressive 42% from three-point range. Needless to say: Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels have landed a guy who has proven to be a bucket-getter.

Adam Finkelstein, the Director of Scouting at 247Sports, had this to say about Adams when he evaluated him back in July.

While Adams has a very versatile offensive attack, he has a few clear weapons. First, he’s an exceptional mid-range shooter off the dribble. He can create space with his handle, but has very advanced footwork, both at the end of his drives and in the mid-post. He’s even a threat to make some tough one-foot step backs from 12-15 feet and now starting to makes threes off the dribble. He’s also a pick-and-pop threat to the arc, able to straight-line drive bad close-outs, put the ball on the floor in the open court, and make reliable decisions (1.5 assists to 1.4 turnovers). At his best, he’s also putting pressure on the rim.

At 6-foot-7 with solid length, athleticism, and cut, he’s plenty capable of operating as a big wing, but probably best suited defending opposing fours at this point. That also may be the position where his offensive versatility poses the biggest mismatch and where his rebounding is best utilized.

We can all breathe a sigh of relief, as North Carolina finally has a commitment to its 2026 recruiting class. Now, it remains to be seen where the Tar Heels go from here, as they have five-star guard Dylan Mingo on campus for an official visit this weekend and have also expressed interest in some other 2026 free agents.

North Carolina did a great job in recruiting Adams, the now headliner of what hopes to be another strong recruiting class for the UNC basketball program.