BREAKING: UNC basketball offers top player in 2028 class
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The North Carolina Tar Heels have officially entered the race for the nation’s top high school basketball prospect, extending a scholarship offer to five-star small forward AJ Williams, the consensus No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2028.
The offer was extended on Tuesday night, with the 6-foot-8, 210-pound rising junior announcing the news via Instagram. This move signals that first-year head coach Michael Malone and his staff are wasting no time in building for the program’s future, targeting elite talent years before they are expected to step foot on a college campus.
Williams joins a growing list of 2028 UNC targets
Williams, who plays high school basketball at Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia, has already amassed 20 scholarship offers, and more are expected as his recruitment continues. The Tar Heels join a crowded field that includes their fiercest rival, Duke, as well as BYU, Louisville, Indiana, Michigan, Alabama, and Kentucky.
Playing for Team CP3 of the EYBL, an AAU program based in Charlotte, Williams has demonstrated his dominance by competing against older competition. Since joining the team for the second EYBL session in Memphis, he has averaged an impressive 19.8 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 41.7% from the floor, helping his team achieve an 8-1 record.
His performance against older players has led to speculation that a reclassification could be possible, though he remains a member of the Class of 2028 for now. Williams is the second player from the 2028 class to receive an offer from the Tar Heels, joining 7-foot-1 center Yann Kamagate.
Kamagate: the first domino in the 2028 class
The Tar Heels’ pursuit of 2028 talent began in mid-May when Malone and his staff extended an offer to Yann Kamagate, a towering 7-foot-1 center who plays for Compton Magic. The offer came shortly after Malone watched Kamagate put up a dominant performance with 16 points, 19 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a Compton Magic victory.
Kamagate, who currently attends St. Francis High School in La Canada Flintridge, California, has quickly become one of the most coveted prospects in his class. In addition to North Carolina, he holds offers from Kansas, UCLA, Baylor, USC, Houston, Texas A&M, Arizona, and Creighton.
Eric Bossi of 247Sports offered a glowing evaluation of the young center, noting his elite athleticism and upside: “Pushing seven-feet with long arms and a wiry strong frame built to carry more mass, Kamagate puts the elite in elite athlete. He makes his way from rim to rim like a track athlete, is a lob finishing machine and only knows how to play the game all out.” Bossi added that Kamagate is expected to enter the 2028 rankings as a five-star prospect.
Malone’s aggressive approach to recruiting
The aggressive pursuit of 2028 talent reflects the philosophy that Michael Malone has brought to Chapel Hill since being formally introduced as the Tar Heels’ head coach on April 7. The 54-year-old coach has emphasized his commitment to recruiting players who possess a relentless motor, toughness, and high basketball IQ.
“I love guys that have a motor, that play hard,” Malone said at his introductory press conference. “You don’t have to wind up and motivate a player – I love self-motivated players who play hard. Toughness, you can’t put a dollar sign on toughness. And then IQ.” He added: “I shouldn’t have to go to practice and try to motivate you every day.”
Malone’s actions have matched his words. Despite the ongoing work to finalize the 2026-27 roster, he and his staff have been active on the recruiting trail, attending events like the Adidas 3SSB event in Mishawaka, Indiana, to identify top talent.
Building for the future
The focus on the Class of 2028 comes as Malone looks to solidify the program’s foundation beyond the immediate future. The Tar Heels have already offered multiple prospects in the 2027 class and are now extending their reach to younger players who could become the cornerstones of the program later in the decade.
Kamagate appears to be a particularly strong fit for what Malone values in a player. His size, athleticism, and relentless style of play align with the coach’s emphasis on motor and toughness. Additionally, the center position is an area of focus for the program, with the Tar Heels adding Sayon Keita and Cade Bennerman in the transfer market while continuing to recruit for the future.
Competition intensifies
With the open contact period now underway, college coaches across the country are reaching out to rising juniors, and the battle for Williams and Kamagate is expected to intensify significantly.
UCLA is another major program that has been active in the 2028 class, recently targeting 7-foot-3 IMG Academy center Dylan Betts, a consensus top-10 recruit. The Bruins have also shown interest in the same pool of elite prospects as North Carolina.
The Tar Heels will need to fend off not only traditional rivals like Duke and Kentucky but also emerging programs that are making significant investments in recruiting. Williams’ 20 existing offers demonstrate the level of competition UNC will face for his commitment.
A long road ahead
While landing an early offer is a significant step, both Williams and Kamagate are still early in their high school careers. College basketball’s recruiting landscape can change dramatically over the next two years, with reclassifications, breakout performances, and shifting rankings likely to alter the picture.
For now, Michael Malone and his staff have made their intentions clear: the Tar Heels intend to compete for the best talent in every class, regardless of how far into the future that talent may be.
