UConn Huskies, Dan Hurley Finalists To Land Elite High School Recruit

The UConn Huskies are set to have a competitive and championship-caliber roster for the 2025-26 season.

However, the recruiting process and preparing for the future never stop, and Dan Hurley's program is one of the finalists to secure one of the top forwards in the 2026 class.

Cole Cloer, a four-star recruit out of Caldwell Academy in North Carolina, is down to his final eight teams, and the Huskies are still in the mix.

What about UConn makes joining the program so intriguing to Cloer?

The elite prospect told Jamie Shaw of On3, "They've been the best program in college basketball over the past four or five years. They won back-to-back championships."

"Coach (Dan) Hurley is a maniac, and that is exactly what you want. You want a coach who loves basketball; you don't want anything else other than that. I love Coach Hurley and Coach Kimani (Young), and my relationship with them has grown over the past few weeks. They put out NBA players, and they have a system they know works. When you're their guy, you're their guy. They're loyal."

Even though the Huskies are technically still in the mix, it's going to be hard for Hurley to pry Cloer away from his home state and the prospect of playing for the North Carolina Tarheels.

On3 currently gives Cloer an 86.3 percent chance of committing to UNC.

Perhaps another solid season from UConn could convince Cloer that joining the Huskies is his best opportunity to win a national championship and showcase his talent, thereby increasing his draft stock.