UNC and Hubert Davis must go all-in for 5-star SF who has Heels among finalists

While UNC basketball fans may still be upset with Hubert Davis over how things went down last season, it doesn't take away from the fact that he and his coaches know how to recruit. Time and time again, the Heels have come out on top of some big-time recruiting battles.

Could another impressive win in that department be on the way? That's what people in Chapel Hill are hoping for, as 5-star small forward Anthony Thompson has cut down his list of offers to seven finalists. According to reporter Joe Tipton, the Heels and Davis have made the cut. Time to go all-in for him? You bet!

5-star SF Anthony Thompson has UNC basketball among his finalists

Things aren't going to be easy here for Davis and North Carolina, as there are six other powerhouses still in the mix to grab Thompson's verbal pledge. Also in the hunt is Michigan, Purdue, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas and Ohio State.

With the 6-7, 185-pounder being a standout for Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, some Buckeyes fans think OSU could have the upper hand due to Columbus being a little over two hours away. With that said, Davis and other coaches chasing him won't care about that at all.

According to the 247Sports Composite, Thompson is ranked five stars, the No. 2 small forward in the country, No. 1 player from Ohio and No. 8 prospect nationally for the 2026 class. Throughout his recruitment, he has picked up 32 offers and even more should be on the way for him leading up to his senior year.

Thompson has college superstar written all over him and he's exactly the kind of playmaker North Carolina needs to be targeting. For the 2025 class, Davis reeled in 5-star stud Caleb Wilson, who's getting ready for what should be an unforgettable freshman campaign on campus.

This summer, Wilson has been turning countless heads with his fantastic play during team workouts and practices. While the excitement on Wilson is at an all-time high, he's projected to be a Top 10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. There's already a good chance that he'll be one and done suiting up for the Heels.

Because of this, Davis needs to make sure he hits the ground running with the '26 class, especially at forward. Again, getting Thompson to play for UNC isn't going to be an easy task and we can go ahead and speculate that a handsome NIL deal will need to be presented in front of him sooner rather than later.

Will North Carolina be willing to put the right amount of money on the table for Thompson? That remains to be seen, but that's now a part of being competitive in grabbing verbals from elite talent. There's no set timeline for Thompson making a decision, but if Davis wants to get some haters off his back who think he's still not the right man for the job, getting Thompson to commit sure would get the job done there.