Prized Class of 2026 prospect narrows his recruitment down to 8 schools

If you've been keeping up with what Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program have been doing on the recruiting trail, you've definitely heard the name Cole Cloer before.

Cloer, a 6-foot-7 wing from Greensboro, North Carolina, is arguably the Tar Heels' most coveted prospect in the 2026 recruiting class. In fact, Cloer was the first player in his graduating class to earn an offer from the UNC basketball program, as the two sides have been connected as a potential match.

Ranked by 247Sports as the No. 24 overall player in the Class of 2026, Cloer has now narrowed his recruitment down to eight schools, a list that includes North Carolina.

The four-star recruit is now focusing on the following programs as his recruitment starts to heat up:

Alabama
Florida
Indiana
Louisville
NC State
North Carolina
UConn
Virginia

Cloer received a variety of offers on the recruiting trail, as some notable programs, such as Illinois and Tennessee, failed to make the cut.

Of the eight schools still involved, half compete in the ACC, as North Carolina has plenty of competition from others within its respective conference.

When speaking to Joe Tipton of On3 regarding his big announcement, Cloer had great things to say about Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program:

“I’ve grown to know them a lot over the past couple of years. I’ve gone over there a lot. I mean, it’s North Carolina basketball, so it doesn’t get much better than that. It’s close to home, I love Coach (Hubert) Davis, Coach (Jeff) Lebo, and Coach (Sean) May.”

It's safe to say that Cloer is a high-priority target for the UNC basketball program, as the goal is to keep this very talented wing within the state of North Carolina. There's no better place to do that than in Chapel Hill, as the Tar Heels appear to be strong contenders in the mix for this top-25 prospect's services.