The North Carolina Tar Heels broke a longtime streak in the program’s history by hiring Michael Malone as their head coach this year. He became the first UNC head coach since Frank McGuire in 1952 with no previous ties to the program.
The 2023 NBA Championship-winning head coach boasts an impressive record, but this will be his first college head coaching stint. Malone’s 2026 recruiting class will be an important factor in his first season at UNC.
Malone took over near the end of the recruiting cycle. It’s never easy for a coach to sign players strictly based on their vision for the team’s roster. However, Malone has done well so far with the Tar Heels.
He was able to keep two commitments in Maximo Adams and Malloy Smith. In addition to that, the 54-year-old has brought in Kevin Thomas and international prospect Sayon Keita.
The complete committed list for UNC this year includes five-star recruits Keita and Adams. UNC will also have Terrence Brown, Kevin Thomas, Neoklis Avdalas, Matt Able, Cade Bennerman, and Malloy Smith.
Two of these players have received their final rankings from 247Sports. Adams is the highest-ranked UNC player at No. 30, and Thomas is ranked No. 85 overall.
Overall, the Tar Heels have added a mix of highly touted high school prospects and impact transfers. Retaining key players has only strengthened their roster. Considering Malone started with a disadvantage, he has done a great job so far.
Did Michael Jordan Help UNC Find Their New Head Coach?
After the Tar Heels fired Hubert Davis, several names came up for the vacant head coaching position. Interestingly, one of the names that popped up at the time was NBA legend Michael Jordan.
Arguably, the greatest basketball player of all time taking over as head coach at his alma mater was an exciting idea, but it was never going to be a reality. At the same time, rumors about MJ helping the Tar Heels find their next head coach also started to float around.
UNC insider Greg Barnes refuted all the rumors, stating that while Jordan is still connected to the program, he doesn’t interfere in such matters.
“He’s not as overly involved as a lot of other people. Why that is…I can’t exactly explain. I don’t know if it’s a matter of not wanting to interfere too much or if he’s so focused on NASCAR and some other things,” he said.
Even though Jordan didn’t step in, the Tar Heels signed Malone on a six-year contract worth a total of $50 million plus incentives.
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