UNC coach Courtney Banghart Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Carolina Women’s Hoops Land Top Prospect of 2026 Recruiting Class

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Grant Chachere | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 5:47 PM ET

North Carolina women’s hoops team is coming off of a strong 29-7 season and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2024-25, the Tar Heels are now winning the offseason as well.

Kate Harpring, a top five player for the Class of 2026, announced her commitment to North Carolina, giving Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels a gigantic recruiting victory. It’s also a wakeup call to the rest of the country as Harpring chose the Tar Heels over top programs such as South Carolina and UCLA – who both went to the Final Four last season.

Harpring is the No. 1 overall recruit in the country according to 247Sports, No. 2 according to On3 and No. 4 on ESPN. She is also the third five-star recruit to commit to the Tar Heels after Nyla Brooks and Talyah Henderson did so in the last recruiting cycle.

Why She Chose Carolina

The daughter of 11-year NBA veteran and former Georgia Tech star Matt Harpring, she made her decision after what she felt like Chapel Hill was the right fit.

Kate Harpring, the No. 1 player in the class of 2026, has committed to UNC.

She chose #UNC over Iowa, South Carolina, UCLA among others.

A huge recruiting win for Courtney Banghatt and the Tar Heels as they build off of a 29-7 record and a Sweet 16 appearance last season! pic.twitter.com/F8G12gWKYu
— Grant Chachere (Sash-Er-Ray) (@ChachereGrant) August 9, 2025

“It feels like a family to me," Harpring told 247Sports. "Coach Banghart has a lot of confidence in me, and she's the head coach I want to play under. I feel like their program is on the rise. I'm really excited about Coach Banghart, her staff, and just the whole all-around family feel of the school."

Like a lot of college recruits, Harpring was waying her options and those are always tough decisions. However, Carolina was on her mind.

"The last couple of weeks I've been thinking about a lot of schools, and I just trusted my gut," Harpring said. "UNC is the school I had the best feeling about. I'm really excited to be committed."

Harpring believes her style of game fits perfectly under Banghart's system.

"She has a lot of confidence in me," Harpring said. "We're going to play to our strengths. She does a really good job of that as a coach, and she really wants to win. Once I get there, I'm going to see how we gel as a team and figure out what our strengths are going to be. I'm excited to be a part of that and really show what I have at the college level."

Winning, she says, was one of the biggest factors in her decision.

"One of the big things for me was winning," Harpring said. "I feel like we can have a great year and great years going forward. The program is on the up, like I said before. Coach Banghart does a great job figuring out how to win. I have a lot of confidence in the program and the whole UNC family. I'm really excited and think we can championships.”

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

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