UNC's push for 5-star Demarcus Henry has an Ohio State-sized roadblock

With Michael Malone officially putting the finishing touches on the 2026 class, North Carolina will now go all-in for 2027 targets. At the top of the list has to be 5-star small forward Demarcus Henry, who recently announced his finalists, with the Tar Heels included. Henry is wanted by just about every powerhouse in the country and for good reason: this kid is a total stud.

And of late, there seems to be added buzz that North Carolina is in a pretty good spot to potentially land him once Henry decides to shut down his recruitment. While that's exciting, there's one team to worry about moving forward. That'd be Ohio State, which UNC isn't known for battling blue bloods over top recruits.

With the greatest of respect for the Buckeyes and what head coach Jake Diebler is trying to get done, there's simply no comparison in terms of hoops history between the two programs. However, Ohio State has a serious chance to land Henry because of the family connection, which surely presents a bit of a roadblock for Malone and his staff in getting him to commit.

Ohio State could be UNC's main competition for 5-star SF Demarcus Henry

The family connection? Henry's older brother Chris just signed with Ohio State as a 5-star wide receiver to play for Ryan Day, with the speedster already turning plenty of heads in Columbus. On top of that, his older sister Seini is entering her redshirt sophomore year in town as a member of Ohio State's women's basketball team. This might remind people a little bit of Dylan Mingo, who was once UNC-bound. He and Carolina parted ways, and it didn't take long for him to follow his older brother Kayden Mingo to Baylor.

And with this, two of Henry's siblings being on campus is nothing to sneeze at, and Henry has said on multiple occasions that it's something he's going to keep in mind. On top of that, Ohio State has been on him for years, and presumably has built strong relationships. With Malone being hired earlier this year to replace Hubert Davis, he's playing a little bit of catch-up.

Despite that, it's clear that Henry has a strong interest in potentially playing for the Tar Heels, which is, of course, understandable. Malone has arrived in Chapel Hill and turned heads with his recruiting efforts, and it seems he's going to keep building on that success. He's now got his first chance to have a full cycle under his belt, with some studs in the '27 class showing interest in UNC.

Henry is on that list, as the No. 1 SF in the country is down to UNC, Ohio State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas, UConn and BYU. Henry isn't expected to make an announcement soon, but the key for Malone here will be to get the 6-7, 190-pounder on campus at some point this fall for an official visit.

Should that happen, it's only going to help Carolina's chances of reeling him in, but you've got to figure Diebler is going to work overtime in trying to impress him during a visit to OSU as well. The long game might be getting played here for Carolina, but it's safe to say Ohio State will be tough to take down. If anyone can do it, though, it's Malone.

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