Heel Tough Blog: UNC Expressing Interest in SEC Transfer

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The transfer portal opened for business Tuesday at midnight, and since then, there have been over 1,600 college basketball players to enter their names, looking for a new place to call home for the 2026-27 season. On Monday, North Carolina hired Michael Malone as the 20th head coach in program history, after firing Hubert Davis after five years on the UNC bench. Malone signed his contract and was officially introduced on Tuesday night in the Smith Center. He spent Wednesday meeting with the current roster, with several names already in the transfer portal, as he continues to finalize his staff, while working on the roster for next season. 

While the UNC program was in flux, waiting to find its next head coach, we know that Sean May was doing a lot of work behind the scenes, positioning the program as best he could to attack the transfer portal, once it opened up early on Tuesday morning. That, along with a connection to the University and an established relationship with Pat Sullivan, is one of the reasons that Malone is expected to retain May, who was believed to be headed for Charlotte, to join Wes Miller’s staff, like fellow assistant Marcus Paige did shortly after Davis was terminated. Malone did add veteran assistant Chuck Martin as his Associate head coach yesterday, luring him away from John Calipari’s staff at Arkansas, adding one of the best recruiters in the country to his staff, who is determined to revamp the talent that exists in the Carolina program. That hire may have also played a role in the first known transfer portal target of the offseason. 

With over 1,600 players in the portal, there’s going to be a lot of rumors and speculation about which school has contacted which player, but Inside Carolina was able to confirm that UNC has made contact with Arkansas transfer Karter Knox, who is seeking an exit from the Razorback program after two seasons. Knox has played in 58 career games, including 42 starts at the SEC level. In his freshman season, he averaged 8.3 points and shot 46% from the field and 35% from behind the arc. This year, in just 22 games, he averaged 8.1 points, 4.5 rebounds while shooting 46% from the field, and 38% from three. His season was cut short due to a meniscus tear, but he should be 100% healthy and ready to go by the time the 2026-27 season begins. 

We still have to wait and see how many players are interested in returning to UNC after entering their name in the transfer portal, but given his experience at the power conference level, combined with the coaching he’s received from John Calipari, Knox would be a nice addition to a revamped roster under first-year head coach Michael Malone. 

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