Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Flip 2026 3✮ WR from Purdue

Hayes Fawcett- Rivals

The Tar Heels hot streak on the 2026 recruiting trail has hit a high over the last couple of days. The most recent commitment comes at the wide receiver position where they flipped a recent offer from Purdue.

As first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports/Rivals, 2026 3✮ WR Kymistrii Young has flipped his commitment from Purdue to UNC. Young officially visited Chapel Hill over the weekend after the Tar Heels offered him back in the middle of October. He had been committed to Purdue since June.

Young, the No. 898 overall prospect and No. 127 wide receiver in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, is in the midst of his senior season at Cardinal Mooney High School in Sarasota, FL. So far this season, in twelve games, he has hauled in 39 passes for 915 yards and eight touchdowns, an average of 23.5 yards per reception, for a Cardinal Mooney team that is currently in the state quarterfinals in Florida’s 2A classification. Last year, as a junior, he caught 25 passes for 626 yards and ten touchdowns for a team that reached the state semifinals in that same 2A classification. The year prior, as a sophomore, he finished with 22 receptions for 433 yards and eight touchdowns.

Young adds another explosive playmaker to the Tar Heels 2026 class. At 6’2, 185 lbs., he has the size to play on the outside and that is where he has played almost exclusively this year. As expected with his yards per reception, he does a tremendous job of creating separation, especially on downfield routes. In some of the more technical situations, he runs his routes so hard and crisp that it allows him to get open on the shorter routes. Not only is he explosive before the catch, but his outstanding straight speed allows him to pull away from defenders after the catch. He has some shiftiness to him, as well, that allows him to make guys miss in the open field and turn short gains into explosive plays. This is going to be one of the underrated gems of the Tar Heels’ entire 2026 class.

With his commitment the Tar Heels’ 2026 class now stands at 39 commitments as we sit exactly one week from the start of the early signing period. The class remains at No. 17 in the overall rankings and No. 3 in the ACC rankings according to 247Sports Composite.