Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels lost an intriguing prospect in the 2026 class in Cole Cloer to a fellow ACC rival.
Cloer announced his commitment to the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday, via On3 insider Joe Tipton. He chose them over the Tar Heels, UConn Huskies, Florida Gators, and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Cloer stands out as a four-star prospect with a 96 score on 247Sports. He is the fifth-best player in the state of Florida, 13th-best player at his position, and 27th-best player in the 2026 class. His composite score of 0.9882 lists him at fifth, 12th and 29th in those respective areas.
“Cloer is a big-time shooter of the basketball who also possesses good wing size and bounce at the rim. He has a high and compact release, gets beautiful loft and rotation on his ball, and is a threat to make all different types of shots. He can make threes on the move or off the dribble, knocked down 43% of his open spot-up threes in EYBL play, and also has a complimenting pull-up game with his ability to score overtop of most opposing wings. Most of all, he has that outward confidence and swagger that almost all great shot-makers share,” Scouting Director Finkelstein wrote.
“Physically, he has very good positional size at over 6-foot-7 (with shoes) and the bounce to be a lob threat or rise-up for explosive open floor finishes. While he lacks ideal length and has a bit of a long neck, he’s gotten stronger and added some noticeable muscle mass definition. Defensively, increased strength and physicality will only benefit him, but there is room for growth with his footspeed and attention to detail at times.”
What's next for Hubert Davis, North Carolina
It's a tough recruiting loss for Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels to take with Cole Cloer. What makes it more painful is that he committed to their in-state rival, adding more salt to the wound.
Davis approaches his fifth season at the helm for the program. He is coming off a 23-14 campaign last season, leading them to the NCAA Tournament with an At-Large bid. They beat the San Diego State Aztecs in the First Four of the tourney. However, their run ended after falling to the Ole Miss Rebels in the first round.
The Tar Heels will begin the 2025-26 campaign with six consecutive home games. They will first host Central Arkansas on Nov. 3 before facing Kansas on Nov. 7.
