On Friday, Oct. 30, the long wait will be over for North Carolina fans who have been sitting on pins and needles to find out where 5-star forward DeMarcus Henry will be playing his college ball. The Tar Heels just hosted him for an official visit, leading to him announcing that he's ready to shut down his recruitment once and for all. The timing isn't a coincidence.
And with Henry getting ready to finalize his life-changing call, 247Sports reporter David Sisk dropped the nugget that Michael Malone and members of his staff will be making their way to his prep school this week for one last meeting before decision day arrives.
Again, the timing is not a coincidence. Breaking things down, it's clearer than ever that Malone is going all-in to get this done, leaving no stone unturned. It speaks to how much he's prioritizing recruiting, too. Here's the breakdown of how this has unfolded of late:
• Henry spent two days on campus for his North Carolina official visit
• Michael Jordan called the 5-star during his trip to Chapel Hill
• Henry revealed a decision date and the final four of UNC, UConn, Louisville, and Kentucky
• Malone, Chuck Martin, and others will be in the Phoenix area on Wednesday to try to lock this down
Landing 5-star DeMarcus Henry would be incredible news for Michael Malone and UNC
This is playing chess, not checkers. It could also hit John Calipari where it hurts. For a little while, it seemed like Arkansas was the presumed favorite to grab Henry's verbal pledge following his official campus visit. Pat Kelsey and Dan Hurley have also given the 6-7, 210-pounder a lot to think about here as well.
However, getting the greatest player of all time (don't talk to us about LeBron James) in Jordan to do a FaceTime call with Henry was an out-of-this-world recruiting play from Malone. How on earth can other teams or coaches compete with that?
Michael Malone is pulling out all the stops to land top 5 recruit Demarcus Henry.
— Tar Heel Dynasty (@heelsdynasty) October 26, 2026
Malone hit up Michael Jordan, who gave a recruiting pitch for Henry to join the Tar Heels next year.
Henry is down to UNC, Arkansas, Louisville, and Kentucky. He will announce his commitment on… pic.twitter.com/Ef6G6Kurxh
The North Carolina brand alone carries a ton of weight, but connecting with Jordan had to remind Henry of just how much of an honor it can be to play at the Dean Dome. With Malone feeling confident about this recruiting race, too, the time to close things out needs to come while he's at Compass Prep.
Malone wouldn't be getting on a plane to travel to Chandler, Ariz., if he didn't think the Tar Heels were in a golden spot to land the nation's No. 1 small forward and No. 3 player overall. The momentum is most definitely in UNC's favor, but doing a bit of a full-court press with this upcoming meeting is just good business overall for the Tar Heels, and it shows the commitment Carolina has in letting Henry know just how badly he's wanted.
No one will know for sure until Friday how this recruitment plays out, but it may be time for the UNC faithful to start dreaming about Henry making plays on campus next season. His OV looks like it could not have gone better, with the memorable experience doing nothing but helping UNC improve its chances. Let's close this out on Wednesday, and then (hopefully) wait for some program-changing news on Friday.
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