North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis is shown during practice before their first round NCAA men’ s basketball tournament game Thursday, March 20, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Top-30 Recruit Slips Away From UNC’s Reach

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Jordon Lawrenz | Last updated Nov 10, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Once again, North Carolina made it to the top of a recruit's board but fell short. Head coach Hubert Davis has his work cut out for him as November is already almost halfway complete, and he's yet to land anyone in his Class of 2026.

A stellar Class of 2025 doesn't excuse there not being a single recruit for the Tar Heels next season. UNC has struck out on numerous top targets, but losing out on Cam Holmes is yet another example of the Tar Heels' failed recruiting tactics.

For Holmes specifically, it was going to be hard to convince him not to go to Arizona. He currently plays for Millennium High School in Goodyear, AZ, so his choosing the Wildcats makes sense. That said, this is yet another top recruit that Davis has missed out on as the clock continues to tick.

UNC's Failed Pursuit Of Cam Holmes

My expectation is that Cam Holmes will be a multi-year impact player at Arizona. https://t.co/Xb49YiTmAH pic.twitter.com/oMR74fM6jj
— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) November 9, 2025

As of October 9, the 247Sports staff logged an expert prediction that Holmes would be choosing Arizona. He's the Wildcats' first commit in the Class of 2026, something Davis would have loved to say after Holmes pledged his commitment.

Sadly for Tar Heels fans, they're once again back to square one. Their women's team has Kate Harping on the way, a stellar player who immediately put UNC in the mix for one of the top Classes of 2026. On the men's side, they've been radio silent.

Holmes, a Top 15 small forward in his class, stands 6'6'' 205-pounds. He's everything that UNC wants in a big man, but he decided that Arizona was a better fit over the Tar Heels and Dayton. He told 247Sports Dushawn London, "Coach Lloyd has done a great job with the program."

North Carolina Goes Back To The Drawing Board

NEWS: Cameron Holmes, the No. 29 overall prospect in the class of 2026, has committed to Arizona, he tells @247Sports

“Coach Lloyd has done a great job with the program,"

Story: https://t.co/buzwGJSMtA pic.twitter.com/AsLcSqcXED
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) November 9, 2025

Even though the Tar Heels made Holmes' Top 3 and hosted one of his many official visits on September 19, Davis has continually failed to make any sort of impact on these recruits. Sure, going as high as the Top 3 is great, but at what point is it going to turn into players deciding they'd rather play for you instead?

Amid the Seth Trimble news, UNC fans are stuck in a harsh reality. They're far from out of it, especially looking ahead to next season, but Davis better start getting some commitments fast. Time is running out, and at this rate, he's looking at one of North Carolina's worst recruiting classes in recent memory.

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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