Heel Tough Blog: UNC Lands First Commitment of 2026 Class, in Four-Star Forward

Tipton Edits

It’s been a long time coming, but after a long wait, Hubert Davis has landed his first commitment in the 2026 recruiting class, in the form of Maximo Adams, a 6-7 forward from California. Adams committed to North Carolina over fellow blue blood Kentucky and Texas, giving Hubert Davis a significant win on the recruiting trail. According to 247Sports, Adams is ranked as the No. 11 player in the 2026 recruiting class and is the No. 5 player from the state of California. Adams is coming off a highly successful EYBL circuit stint, averaging a double-double, at 20.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, on 42% shooting from behind the arc. 

Adam Finklestein is the Scouting Director for 247Sports, and here is how he evaluated Adams as a prospect earlier this summer; ‘Adams was one of the biggest breakout players of the grassroots season, averaging 20.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in EYBL play while shooting 52% from the field, 42% from behind the arc, and 74% from the free-throw line. He’s a true mismatch problem who can play multiple positions and score at different levels. While Adams has a very versatile offensive attack, he has a few clear weapons. First, he’s an exceptional mid-range shooter off the dribble. He can create space with his handle, but has very advanced footwork, both at the end of his drives and in the mid-post. He’s even a threat to make some tough one-foot step backs from 12-15 feet and now starting to makes threes off the dribble. He’s also a pick-and-pop threat to the arc, able to straight-line drive bad close-outs, put the ball on the floor in the open court, and make reliable decisions (1.5 assists to 1.4 turnovers). At his best, he’s also putting pressure on the rim. At 6-foot-7 with solid length, athleticism, and cut, he’s plenty capable of operating as a big wing, but probably best suited defending opposing fours at this point. That also may be the position where his offensive versatility poses the biggest mismatch and where his rebounding is best utilized.’

This commitment comes on the same weekend that Carolina is set to host five-star, combo-guard Dylan Mingo, whom Carolina would love to pair with Adams in this recruiting class. There is no denying that the uncertainty around Hubert Davis’s long-term status as Carolina’s head coach has impacted his ability to recruit high school talent, meaning that this could be a smaller recruiting class than normal, meaning UNC could rely heavily on the transfer portal to build next year’s roster. Mingo is the only other target that Carolina is in serious contention for at this time, having lost traction with Deron Rippey Jr, among others. 

Adams is a nice first piece to whatever this class eventually looks like. He has the size that Carolina values on the wing, along with elite outside shooting. His commitment was the latest example of the success that Carolina has had when they’ve been able to get either top recruits or transfers on campus; they usually get them to commit. With Mingo on campus this weekend, hopefully, this is the start to something bigger for the 2026 class. 

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