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Michael Malone and his staff are already getting busy for next season.
Theres been a lot of news coming from the recruiting class of 2027, and luckily for North Carolina, a lot of it has been positive for the Tar Heels.
The most recent development involves 2027 5-star point guard Beckham Black, who has scheduled an official visit with the university.
Black would be an absolute monster landing for Michael Malone, and to land him in his first recruiting cycle would be truly something special.
No.
1 Overall Recruit Black is ranked very highly by every recruiting site, none higher than ESPN and 247Sports, which rate him as the No.
1 overall prospect with a 98 rating.
He was also one of 12 athletes selected to the 2025 Mens USA U16 team, further solidifying his elite prospect status.
Hes a 63, 180-pound point guard with just about every tool in the toolbox.
Originally from Duncanville High School, Black currently plays for Southeastern Prep High School in Orlando, Florida.
He currently has a long list of offers, but only a limited number of visits have been scheduled thus far, with North Carolina being one of them.
According to 247Sports, Black is listed as warm with Georgetown, Texas, and Arkansas, with Georgetown being the lone school to have already hosted Black for an official visit.
The University of Texas also has a scheduled date of September 9, when Black will visit Austin.
Family Connections Could Lead Elsewhere Theres also a family connection to Arkansas, which strengthens that relationship and makes it a reasonable team to have labeled warm in the race for his recruitment.
Beckham is the brother of Anthony Black, a former Arkansas Razorback and current Orlando Magic guard.
Beckham could very likely follow suit and play for the Razorbacks, so its unfortunate that North Carolina could possibly play without a step in the door yet.
Although there isnt an official date yet for Blacks official visit to Chapel Hill, theres no doubt that Michael Malone and Chuck Martin will do whatever it takes to have him dressed in Carolina Blue next year.
Landing a recruit that is that highly touted would not only rejuvenate the fanbase but would be a very impressive bullet point to add to Malones already growing resume in his short time as the head coach.
Black could bring the standard back to Chapel Hill and give Tar Heels fans something to be extremely excited about.
Kade Nix is a sports writer covering North Carolina on SI.
He specializes in college basketball, college football, and the NFL.
In 2021, he founded Kades Draft Room, a sports website that ran until 2025, and has an extensive background writing for multiple channels and sports websites.
In addition to his writing experience, Kade has hands-on sports scouting experience, including time as a Texas area scout for the Hula Bowl, giving him a unique perspective on player evaluation and the college sports landscape.