The NCAA transfer portal is a chaotic time for every team in college basketball, whether they want to admit it or not. Sure, a team like Tennessee has made it look easy by throwing metric tons of money around, but the fact of the matter is that everyone has the same experience: teams will get good talent to commit, teams will miss out on some guys they really wanted, and something random and weird will happen. UNC has experienced all three dynamics so far, but the 247Sports rankings indicate that they are
currently in a pretty good spot.
Right now UNC is ranked 6th in the transfer portal rankings according to 247Sports.com. Of Michael Malone’s four commitments, three of them are ranked as four-star transfers, while the fourth one is a three-star. Teams that are currently ranked ahead of the Heels in the rankings are Louisville, Tennessee, Texas, Indiana, and Miami.
What has been interesting knowing how high the Heels are ranked in the portal rankings is that there are a handful of media members and fans that all but let out an audible yawn when looking at who UNC has gotten so far. What is worth pointing out, though, is that last year Hubert Davis’ transfer portal class ranked 22nd, and in 2024 they were ranked 50th. Michael Malone has done an admirable job so far in the portal, especially considering the fact that he was just hired a month ago. Malone isn’t done yet, either — right now he is targeting 7’3 European center Luigi Suigo, as well as a couple of other player that are currently in the NCAA ranks.
UNC will ultimately have a very capable team that takes the court in 2026-27, but projections are almost impossible as far as ACC/NCAA title contention goes. Michael Malone is one of the more unique hires we’ve seen in the college ranks in a long time, and with that comes a lot of question marks, both good and bad. Throw in a roster that will have a starting lineup mostly compiled of transfers, and the situation becomes one where all we can do is cross our fingers and hope for the best. Still, on paper everything looks good, but we’ll see how things ultimately play out.
