UNC must prioritize 5-star Demarcus Henry with Pat Kelsey and his wild NIL budget striking first

When it comes to 2027 targets for North Carolina and Michael Malone, it's fair to say that small forward Demarcus Henry is very much at the top of the wishlist. Malone has been prioritizing the standout playmaker for a little while now, but it's time to show some urgency here and schedule an official visit as soon as possible. That's because Pat Kelsey is making moves, and it's not ideal.

In case you missed it, Louisville is hosting Henry for an official visit this week, his first of what's expected to be many. This is concerning for multiple reasons. To start, this means Kelsey can set the tone in terms of Henry's visits, meaning others will have to try to match things. On top of that, Louisville is known for spending BIG on top targets, which will surely be the case for the 5-star talent.

Louisville hosting 5-star Demarcus Henry for his first official visit isn't ideal for UNC

At the end of the day, everyone knew Henry was going to be taking multiple OVs, especially after he announced his Top 8 via Joe Tipton earlier this summer. For now, North Carolina, Ohio State, Louisville, Kentucky, BYU, UConn, Arkansas, and Kansas remain in the hunt to land his services.

As you can see, there's some serious competition for Malone to pull this off, though our gut tells us this still could end up being a battle at the end between the Tar Heels and Buckeyes. Ohio State is a serious player in his recruitment with Henry's older brother Chris playing football for OSU, while his sister Seini is on the Buckeyes' women's basketball team.

Now, though, it seems like Louisville is yet another powerhouse for the Heels to worry about, and everyone knows Kelsey has a budget that most other coaches dare not even dream off. The Cardinals coach essentially had a blank check for this 2026 class, which of course included spending big via the transfer portal. Adding Seth Trimble was the cherry on top for the Cardinals, with reports stating they paid the former Heel between $2-3 million for this upcoming season.

How much will Louisville put on the table for Henry? Your guess is as good as ours, but you've got to figure Kelsey will be ready to drive up the asking price for others if he's all-in on pulling off this major recruiting win. This is something UNC will desperately look to prevent, as Henry is a 5-star recruit and the top-ranked small forward in the country per the 247Sports Composite.

With all of that said, the sooner Malone can get Henry on campus for a visit, the better. For now, the Heels are bringing in 4-star SF Asa Montgomery in for an official on Sept. 25, so it could make sense to have both in town at the same time. Then on Oct. 30, 5-star studs Nasir Anderson and Darius Wabbington will be in Chapel Hill.

If Henry isn't rushing a decision, maybe getting those three on campus at the same time would be a brilliant move. It all depends on what Henry's timeline looks like. Regardless of that, Malone needs to act fast and get things scheduled, especially with Kelsey making a major move here first.

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