Things went down pretty quickly between North Carolina and new 4-star commit Kevin Thomas. News broke of his official visit recently, he made his way to town and then he ended up committing to the Tar Heels while in Chapel Hill. Boom.
Matthew Able's quote on his future is the last thing UNC fans want to see
Malone adding a Top 100 player this late in the recruiting game for the 2026 class is a major win and the folks over at 247Sports went ahead and made things even better for Carolina. How so? Well, we're glad you asked.
Before Thomas gave Malone the news that he was hoping for, the UNC 2026 haul, including the transfer portal commitments, was ranked No. 23 overall in the country per the 247Sports rankings. Not anymore. With Thomas committing, that class is now ranked No. 8 overall.
𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: Kevin Thomas, the No. 79 overall recruit in the national 2026 class, has committed to #NorthCarolina, a source tells @247Sports.
— Brandon Jenkins (@BJenkins247) May 13, 2026
The four-star wing is the fourth Class of 2026 prospect to commit to Mike Malone this offseason.
𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 https://t.co/0jjV3dU7EU pic.twitter.com/F5fARoF5PY
Kevin Thomas committing to UNC has the 2026 class ranked in the Top 10
Thomas was once LSU-bound, committing to the Tigers before the coaching change was made. Once Matt McMahon was fired, the 6-6, 195-pounder opened up his recruitment and he was receiving plenty of interest of late.
However, the Tar Heels popped in seemingly out of nowhere and they were able to land him pretty easily it looks like. According to the 247Sports Composite, the newest member of the '26 group is ranked four stars, the No. 35 small forward in the country and No. 90 player overall.
Throughout his recruitment, he picked up offers from UNC, LSU, Auburn, Florida State, Miami and many others. Could the Thomas addition also help out Malone in trying to keep Matthew Able on the roster for next season as well?
That's something that's on the table. Able and Thomas are former teammates at Sagemont Prep in Florida, having state title success with one another. As soon as Thomas announced his pledge, Able celebrated the news on social media too, which has people talking.
Able just put on a show in the NBA Draft Combine, with a 15-point showing during a scrimmage turning plenty of heads. He was asked about his future plans, leaving the door open to stay in the NBA Draft to go pro, while also saying he's also considering a return to college to play for the Tar Heels. We'll all be waiting on his final decision there.
As for Thomas, he joins a loaded class at Carolina, with Maximo Adams and Malloy Smith being the other high school playmakers. Internationally, 5-star big man Sayon Keita has committed, while transfers Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, Cade Bennerman and Able are also UNC-bound.
Malone and Co. aren't done either, with the expectation that more pieces will be added for next season's roster. Yes, replacing Caleb Wilson, Seth Trimble, Henri Veesaar and others won't be easy, but Malone has been crushing it with recruiting and the Thomas get has only made things even better.
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