The hunt continues for UNC and Michael Malone, as the Tar Heels have their eyes on more center help for next season. As most of you know by now, Greek big man Alexandros Samodurov is a top target and plenty of signs continue to point in the direction of a Carolina commitment. However, could the new NCAA guidance change things up a bit?
Michael Malone and UNC have another transfer big man on their recruiting radar
News has just popped up that the NCAA is looking to crack down on international players making their way to play for college programs. With this new guidance, it says, via Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated, that “the guidelines state that prospective student-athletes who ‘entered an agreement with, competed on or received compensation from a team that participates in a league with minimum compensation that exceeds actual and necessary expenses’ will not have their college eligibility reinstated.”
This is not ideal for North Carolina, as EuroLeague players are among the ones who fall under this category. Because of this, Samodurov, along with 5-star UNC center commit Sayon Keita, could be impacted. It goes without saying, but this is not welcome news for Malone and his efforts to put together a roster for next season, though we must emphasize that there are moving parts here:
The NCAA's new (very poorly timed) rule sends a clear message: international players are no longer welcome in the college game.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 22, 2026
ACB, France, Italy, Australian NBL and anyone who's ever played for a EuroLeague team, even for next to nothing, are suddenly permanently ineligible? https://t.co/n8qBO9zQ3j
UNC is still pushing to land Alexandros Samodurov in the near future for Michael Malone
Indeed, the NCAA has not come out and made things clear on what exactly will be enforced and when they're planning to do so. There's already loads of speculation on social media that legal action could arrive if players are deemed ineligible, but that's a different story for us to attack on another day.
The worry, though, is if the NCAA does move quickly in trying to block overseas players from suiting up next season. Again, this would impact Carolina, as an NIL deal was agreed upon with Keita and they're surely working on details with Samodurov to get him to play in Chapel Hill next season - he's not committed yet, but those wheels are in motion.
Samodurov could be the missing piece for the lineup, as it would take a ton of pressure off of Keita to perform at a high level early on. While the FC Barcelona stud has a bright future, it'd be great for Carolina to bring in a big man to help guide him, while also taking the lead in being a monster near the glass, with loads of experience.
Samodurov would change quite a bit for North Carolina next campaign, but nothing is finalized and this new NCAA guidance is only going to have people more worried about Malone getting him to town to be a playmaker for the Heels in 2026-27.
Once again, there are a lot of moving parts here and we may be playing the 'what if' game a bit. Still, the new NCAA guidance is quite eye-opening and North Carolina won't be the only program worried about how things are enforced moving forward. The timing truly could not be worse, as it could end up complicating a whole lot for Malone and his staff.
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