UNC's Major Recruiting Win, Injury Setback, and Defending Champs Impress
Kate Harpring is a Tar Heel, bad news for Blaske, and No. 1 UNC Women's Soccer looks the part
Thanks to the many new subscribers who joined us over the weekend and those of you already on board! The Carolina sports year is officially underway with the first two (national champion) women’s soccer scrimmages in the books. Football training camp is in full swing, Luka Bogavac is expected to arrive at UNC this week, and women’s basketball landed the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class. Now, on to the updates…
Basketball
UNC transfer guard Kyan Evans reportedly received a $2-million NIL package to sign with the Tar Heels. He didn’t even visit any of the schools pursuing him in the transfer portal, so apparently it all came down to the highest bidder, which seems to be the unfortunate case in college athletics these days.
Sophomore center James Brown is looking good in this Instagram video during summer workouts with a personal trainer. Hopefully he can make the “sophomore leap” this season.
The Tar Heels are still awaiting the arrival of Luka Bogavac. Fall semester in Chapel Hill begins Aug. 18, and he is widely expected to be on campus in time for classes.
RJ Davis hasn’t forgotten his roots. He dropped in last week to see the kids at camp at his old high school, Archbishop Stepinac, in White Plains, NY:
Apparently, a lot of folks (including those at ESPN) seem to forget that UNC actually won this game, 102-100, at Cameron Indoor Stadium after Duke’s Jeff Capel hit a halfcourt shot to send the game into overtime.
It’s not really basketball news, but since it’s August, I’ll allow it. Michael Jordan is competing in the White Marlin Open this weekend with his 82-foot Bayliss fishing boat. MJ and the Catch 23 crew are currently second on the leaderboard after weighing in a 71-pound white marlin. If the result holds, they'll walk away with $400,000 in prize money.
Basketball Recruiting
Class of 2026 4-star forward Quinn Costello included UNC in his top 6 last week, along with Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, and Texas.
Basketball recruiting is in the middle of a dead period right now that runs through Aug. 20. Here’s a link to the complete 2025-26 Division I Men’s Basketball Recruiting Calendar (PDF file).
“A dead period is that period of time when it is not permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus.”
While we wait on more recruiting developments, here’s a list of official UNC basketball recruiting visits to keep an eye on:
Aug. 1 - Sayon Keita (5-star C)
Aug. 22 - Anthony Thompson (5-star SF)
Aug. 31 - Deron Rippey Jr. (5-star PG)
Aug. 31 - Toni Bryant (5-star PF)
Sept. 5 - Bryson Howard (4-star SF)
Sept. 12 - Tajh Ariza (5-star SF)
Oct. 4 - LJ Smith (4-star CG, unofficial visit)
Oct. 10 - Cole Cloer (4-star SF)
Football
As expected under Bill Belichick, there hasn’t been a lot of information leaking out of football training camp. The big (unfortunate) news from this weekend is that starting center Austin Blaske is expected to miss up to two months with a broken foot.
Blaske was among several Tar Heels named to preseason Award Watch Lists. Here’s the full rundown: RB Davion Gause, LS Spencer Triplett, DB Will Hardy, LB Andrew Simpson, OL Austin Blaske.
And since there are a lot of unfamiliar names and faces this year, I’ve compiled links to articles that do a nice job profiling some of the names to know this season: DB Thaddeus Dixon, LB Khmori House, DB Marcus Allen, RB Caleb Hood, QB Max Johnson, DB Will Hardy, QB Gio Lopez.
Former UNC wide receiver Nate McCollum signed with the Arizona Cardinals, joining former Tar Heel running back Michael Carter on the team’s training camp roster.
There’s a new gameday experience coming for UNC Football this season, billed as “Chapel Thrill Game Day.“ Per UNC, the event will “expand last year's pre-kickoff footprint of opportunities for fans of all ages to enjoy and will include the debut of the Chapel Thrill Concert Series.“
And former UNC walk-on wide receiver Mack Hollins is receiving first-team reps in New England catching passes from Drake Maye after coming over from Buffalo in the offseason.
Hollins is one of three former UNC walk-ons in the NFL, along with Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb and Texans running back British Brooks.
Football Recruiting
On the recruiting side, there were too many offers handed out to list this week, but I’ll be highlighting notable recruiting visits as the season unfolds.
ESPN ranks UNC’s 2026 football recruiting class 16th nationally. Other ACC schools include Miami (11), Florida State (13), Clemson (15), SMU (20), Louisville (29), Boston College (34), Pittsburgh (36), and Cal (38). How many of those teams were in the ACC when you were growing up?
Women’s Basketball
Former UNC center Maria Gakdeng is doing big things on the global stage playing for South Sudan in the 2025 FIBA Women's AfroBasket event. She recorded three double-doubles, including a whopping 24 rebounds against Egypt.
Women’s Basketball Recruiting
The big news of the week were the two UNC Women’s Basketball commitments. On Friday, 6-foot-5 center Noelle Bofia committed to North Carolina. She’s a 4-star recruit and the No. 1-ranked player in Arizona.
On Saturday, Courtney Banghart got some HUGE news when Kate Harpring, the No. 1-ranked player in the 2026 class, committed to the Tar Heels over South Carolina, Iowa, UCLA, and others. Harpring is a 5-star wing and the daughter of former Georgia Tech great and NBA veteran Matt Harpring.
Four-star shooting guard Jenica Lewis (Johnston, Iowa) is down to five schools. Iowa, UNC, Notre Dame, Oregon, and TCU. She will take official visits to all 5, but pulling her out of Iowa would be tough.
And 5-star center Chamiah Francis (Pensacola, Fla.) included UNC in her top 7 along with Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Ole Miss, LSU, and Duke.
Olympic Sports
Games for the 2025-26 UNC sports year kicked off last week. Defending national champion UNC Women’s Soccer went 2-0 in a pair of scrimmages at Dorrance Field. On Wednesday, the Tar Heels beat UNC-Wilmington, 5-0. And on Saturday, in a rematch of last season’s national title game, Carolina beat Wake Forest, 4-1. That preseason No. 1 ranking looks legit.
Side note: Concession prices look to have jumped significantly this year. I guess all of that Bill Belichick and NIL money has to come from somewhere.
UNC Women’s Soccer alumnae Lucy Bronze, Emily Fox, and Alessia Russo have been nominated for the 2025 Women’s Ballon d’Or award, presented by France Football magazine to the best male and female soccer players in the world. The winner will be announced Sept. 22.
And much like the UNC Women’s Soccer program, the powerhouse UNC Field Hockey team also grew from humble beginnings. Click on the photo below for a look back at some classic origin photos from 1972:
The USA Women’s Field Hockey Team qualified for 2026 World Cup after finishing second to Argentina in the 2025 Pan American Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay. Tar Heels on the team included Meredith Sholder (captain), Katie Dixon, and Ryleigh Heck.
Congratulations to UNC Women’s Lacrosse assistant coach Marie McCool (20 goals, 5 assists in 5 games), who was named MVP of The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, China on Monday after Team U.S.A. defeated arch-rival Canada, 10-4, in the championship game. Other Tar Heels winning gold were Chloe Humphrey, Taylor Moreno, and Ally Mastroianni. Fellow Tar Heel Brooklyn-Walker Welch earned Silver with Team Canada.
UNC Softball landed a big transfer last week. After two seasons at Texas Tech, infielder Raegan Jennings is transferring to North Carolina. As a sophomore, she hit .398 and went 11-for-12 as a pinch-hitter. Clutch!
This Week’s Tar Heel Birthdays
Happy birthday shoutouts to…
Josh Downs, NFL Wide Receiver: August 12 (24)
Ryan Kohart, 1998 Men's Lacrosse Captain Killed In 9/11 Attacks: Aug. 12 (1975-2001)
Chris Hanburger, Pro Football Hall of Fame Linebacker: Aug. 13 (84)
Allie Long, 2008 NCAA Champion, US Women's National Soccer Team: Aug. 13 (38)
Kellie Thompson, 3x Lacrosse All-American: Aug. 13 (1980-2012)
Greg Ellis, All-American Defensive End, UNC Career Sack Leader (50): Aug. 14 (50)
Paul Severin, 2x All-American Defensive End: Aug. 14 (1918-2006)
Art Weiner, College Football Hall of Fame, 2x All-American, UNC retired jersey No. 50: Aug. 16 (1926-2013)
Tar Heel Tidbits
UNC is considering a new 25,000-seat stadium to attract international sports to the region, including cricket, rugby, soccer, and more. It’s in the same location as the proposed off-campus basketball arena.
And UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts definitely did NOT say that UNC won’t be jumping to the SEC or Big Ten when asked about the legal settlement between the ACC and Clemson/Florida State.
"Delighted that the settlement was reached. It's a good thing for the conference. We are a proud member of the ACC, a founding member of the ACC. We've been a member of the ACC since 1953, so over 70 years now. As always, we'll do what's best for Tar Heel athletics and for the university as a whole."
Final Thoughts
As a reminder, this newsletter will remain free through the end of August, giving you a chance to see what it’s all about while giving me time to dial in the content that’s most valuable to you. Starting Labor Day, it will switch to a paid model: $5/month or $50/year, with a 1-week free trial you can cancel anytime.
So, why the paid subscription model? It’s simple. Tar Heel Times will always remain a free website, but this newsletter is something new—more personal, more focused, and directly supported by readers like you. It’s a clean, ad-free UNC digest delivered straight to your inbox, without clutter or clickbait. Your support helps cover the time and effort it takes to put it all together.
Go Heels, and a sincere thank you to the many of the over 1,300 subscribers who already have become paid supporters.
James