It's safe to say that new LSU head coach Will Wade, who North Carolina fans love to hate, is making loads of headlines in Baton Rouge. Wade is going after veteran players, including G-League guys (RJ Luis) and international stars. In terms of overseas playmakers, Wade was just able to land the commitment of Brice Dessert, a stud big man.
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Hey, we're going to give Wade and LSU credit here, as it's a big-time get for the SEC side. Yes, again, we'll tip our cap, but while Dessert had been linked to North Carolina over the past month or so, this simply is not a case of Wade pulling a fast one on Michael Malone and the Tar Heels. Why, you ask? Because the focus has been on Alexandros Samodurov and not Dessert.
Source: International big man Brice Dessert has officially signed with Will Wade and LSU.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 21, 2026
The 7-footer — who was cleared by the NCAA last season — should make an immediate impact up front for the Tigers in 2026-27.
UNC is clearly all-in on center Alexandros Samodurov and cooled on Brice Dessert
Some LSU fans and UNC haters may be quick to say that Wade flexed his muscles on the ACC powerhouse to get things done, but that just was not the case. All eyes are on Samodurov, as he continues to be on commitment watch moving forward.
Dessert was also once being targeted by North Carolina and the same could be said for Mouhamed 'Momo' Faye. Faye was at one point on the verge of picking the Tar Heels, but reports came out that the two sides couldn't get on the same page NIL wise. David Sisk said on the Heel Report Podcast that some programs were ready to offer double what UNC had on the table.
Did something similar happen with Dessert? Maybe, but at the same time all signs have been pointing to Samodurov of late for UNC's center search. The Greek standout had plenty of people talking recently when he liked a social media post saying that he was UNC-bound.
However, Keeping It Heel's Nick Delahanty has confirmed several times through his sources that nothing is over the line there just yet. Despite that, it's still feeling like it'd be a bit of a shock if the 6-11 stud isn't UNC-bound next season, ready to make an impact for Malone during his debut season in the ACC.
As for Wade, he left the NC State Wolfpack in the dust to return to the Tigers and he's been making a splash of late with some of the guys he's targeting. Plenty of people aren't happy, but he's not one to shy away from controversy. Remember when he tossed shade at Hubert Davis over Ven-Allen Lubin? Yeah, it was silly then and it still is now.
That's nothing for the Heels to worry about, though, as Malone and Co. continue to build out what's looking to be a strong roster for next campaign. Sure, bringing in Dessert would have been great, but it's clear that the staff has gone all-in on Samodurov instead. Breaking news could be coming soon and it will make plenty of people at Carolina forget all about Faye, Dessert and others.
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