UNC football’s top 2026 recruiting target poses with fellow program legend

Kendre Harrison, UNC’s top 2026 football recruiting target, got his picture taken alongside a North Carolina football legend during UNC-Pitt.

The North Carolina Tar Heels can recruit all the high-end football talent they want, but unless there’s drastic changes within the program, we’ll experience the same, disappointing results year-after-year.

Landing commitments from big-time recruits has to pay off eventually though, right?

UNC already has 14 commitments in the Class of 2025, including in-state 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker, who’ll compete with Conner Harrell for the starting gig in 2025.

North Carolina is already looking ahead to its 2026 recruiting class, too, with its highest priority 5-star tight end Kendre Harrison. According to 247Sports, Harrison’s the top-ranked tight end, third-ranked player in North Carolina and 17th-ranked player nationally.

The Tar Heels are throwing every recruiting trick they have at Harrison, with hopes his commitment can spurn a chain reaction.

UNC’s latest recruiting effort involved bringing in Harrison for Saturday’s UNC-Pitt game. Not only was Harrison in attendance at Kenan Stadium, but he was pictured alongside an all-time program great in Julius Peppers.

Peppers was going to be in Chapel Hill Saturday regardless, as he was being honored for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Peppers is second-all time in North Carolina history with 30.5 sacks, plus fourth all-time in NFL history with 159.5 sacks.

Harrison, also an in-state standout, is in his third season at Reidsville High School. Harrison broke out last year, catching 62 passes for 940 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also helping the Rams’ basketball team to a state championship.

While the Tar Heels’ third-consecutive loss probably wasn’t appealing to Harrison, getting his picture taken alongside an all-time UNC athlete made his trip to Chapel Hill worthwhile.

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Top UNC football recruiting target announces transfer

UNC’s top target in its 2026 football recruiting class is transferring back to play football in his hometown.

While the North Carolina Tar Heels are currently focused on continuing their undefeated season on Saturday against James Madison, they’re also focused on bringing in top-quality recruits to fill out their future rosters.

UNC already has 14 commits in the Class of 2025, headlined by in-state quarterback Bryce Baker. North Carolina also has three Class of 2026 commitments, but is hoping to land a few more.

One of the Tar Heels’ greatest priorities is Reidsville, NC-based Kendre Harrison, the imposing 6’7″, 245-lbs. tight end who is the nation’s top-ranked player at his position.

Harrison is also quite the basketball player, helping lead Reidsville to the 2A state basketball championship last year.

Harrison, who previously transferred to Providence Day in Charlotte, announced he was returning to Reidsville on Monday afternoon.

This is a somewhat unusual transfer, considering that it came a few weeks into high school football season. Harrison caught 13 passes for 153 yards for Providence Day in three games already this season, plus he added eight tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

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Harrison is expected to be an immediate boost to a Reidsville squad that is already 4-0 – and looking to win a second-consecutive 2A state championship. Harrison enjoyed a breakout season last year for the Rams, exploding with 940 receiving yards and catch 16 touchdowns.

Harrison is down to UNC and Tennessee as his finalists. Hopefully, he picks the school just over an hour from his hometown.

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Big five-star dual-sport athlete visiting UNC this weekend

The UNC football program will host five-star recruit Kendre Harrison.

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program is back on the field in Week 3 hosting NC Central as they look to move to 3-0 on the year. With UNC at home again this week, they will host a few recruits in Chapel Hill.

And among those in attendance for the game is a big five-star recruit that the basketball and football team both have their eyes on.

Providence Day School product Kendre Harrison took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce that he will be on campus for the game on Saturday, a really good thing for the Tar Heels in this recruitment.

With Harrison being a priority in-state recruit, getting him on campus and around the program as much as possible is key.

Harrison is a five-star tight end who is ranked No. 9 in the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s among the top players in the country and has drawn interest from big programs.

But as it stands right now, it appears as if Tennessee and UNC have emerged as his favorites.

Harrison is also one of the top basketball recruits in the 2025 class and does want to play both in college. That could be a big advantage for UNC in this recruitment.

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Nebraska offers top tight end in 2026 a scholarship

Kendre Harrison is a five-star tight end from Reidsville, NC. 

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have made an offer to one of the top recruits in the class of 2026. Kendre Harrison is a five-star tight end from Reidsville, NC.

Harrison is ranked as the country’s No. 1 tight end prospect and the state of North Carolina’s No. 1 player. He recently made headlines after announcing he was transferring from Reidsville High to Providence Day.

Providence Day is the home of five-star offensive tackle prospect David Sanders Jr. Sanders is a top target for Nebraska in the class of 2025 and was recently welcomed to campus by Matt Rhule and Dylan Raiola.

Last season, he recorded 62 catches for 940 yards and 16 touchdowns. As a defensive end, he had 76 tackles, 17.0 for loss, and 9.0 sacks.

It’s unknown if Harrison will continue to play defensive end now that he has transferred.

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Class of 2026 5-star tight end Kendre Harrison transfers his high school

Kendre Harrison announces a big transfer to a North Carolina powerhouse.

One of the top prospects in the class of 2026, Kendre Harrison, is transferring for his final two years of high school football.

Harrison announced on Thursday that he will be joining Charlotte Providence Day (Charlotte, North Carolina). Harrison is a five-star prospect who is ranked the third-best prospect in his class by ESPN for football.

And, he is also a four-star basketball player as well according to ESPN.

He is a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end (and defensive end) who is also a standout on the basketball court.

Last year for Reidsville (Reidsville, North Carolina), he had 62 catches for 940 yards and 16 touchdowns in 15 games.

 

Understandably, Harrison strong offer list that includes Alabama, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, South Carolina and Wake Forest among others. He was most recently offered by Nebraska.

Charlotte is a powerhouse program that finished last year 12-1. At Charlotte, Harrison will join five-star offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who is the second-ranked player in the class per Rivals.

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Trio of Oklahoma Sooners recruiting targets among ESPN’s top 25 prospects

The Oklahoma Sooners are in pursuit of three of the best prospects in the nation regardless of recruiting class.

The Oklahoma Sooners [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] is nearly complete. They have 22 players committed to the class but are working to earn commitments from three more targets this cycle.

Five-star offensive tackles [autotag]Michael Fasusi[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrew Babalola[/autotag], five-star safety [autotag]Jonah Williams[/autotag], and four-star linebacker [autotag]Christian Jones[/autotag] are the top remaining targets. Fasusi and Williams are considered two of the top prospects in the country regardless of recruiting class.

ESPN’s Billy Tucker ranked the top 25 (ESPN+) prospects regardless of recruiting class, with Williams coming in at No. 16 and Fasusi landing at No. 20.

At one point, the Sooners were considered the leaders for Williams. His recruitment has taken a number of twists and turns. After Oklahoma, Texas A&M became the perceived leader. Texas and Oregon have also had their time as the leaders for Williams. This feels like a recruitment that nobody truly knows where it’s headed except for Williams. He set a top five that left out the Sooners, but don’t sleep on [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff to find their way back into the race for one of 2025’s very best players.

Williams, a safety who is listed as an outside linebacker, can be a versatile player with his combination of size and speed. He’s already 6-3, 205 pounds with length and will continue to fill out and grow into the linebacker role. He makes an impact regardless of alignment and shows flashes reminiscent of 2019 ESPN 300 safety and former Notre Dame standout Kyle Hamilton. Williams has elite range to both match up in coverage and act as a sideline-to-sideline presence. He displays excellent ball skills, and his length and leaping ability allow him to win contested matchups. In addition to playmaking tools, Williams also shows good toughness. He can be a physical, wrap-up tackler and brings ball carriers down in space. The transition to linebacker should be a smooth one in college as he continues to add size. – Tucker, ESPN

The Sooners are in a good spot with Fasusi. They’ll have to contend with Texas and Texas A&M for his commitment. He’s been on campus several times and even called Bill Bedenbaugh the GOAT (greatest of all time) on social media.

Fasusi has all the tools to be an elite offensive tackle at both the collegiate and NFL levels.

Fasusi certainly looks the part. He stands 6-6, 295 pounds with an 83.3-inch wingspan and a 1.77 10-yard split, creating an unparalleled length and agility combination. As one might expect, he plays with good initial quickness and explosive power. He has worked to add to his wiry frame as he has gotten older and now plays with excellent strength in the run game. Fasusi gets great hand placement, pops his hips and drives defenders off the ball with his physicality. His improved functional strength could allow him to star at guard if he never develops elite pass protection skills at tackle, but he has the length and athleticism to handle either tackle position with further technical development. Fasusi presents a captivating ball of clay for an elite program to continue molding. – Tucker, ESPN

In addition to Williams and Fasusi, the Sooners are also in pursuit of 2026 athlete [autotag]Brandon Arrington[/autotag]. He comes in at No. 23 in the nation.

Arrington may be a better track athlete than football player at this stage, but he has elite sprinter speed. The 6-3, 180-pounder broke California’s sophomore state record with a 20.55 200-meter dash this spring and won the state’s Gatorade Track and Field Player of the Year award. On the football field, Arrington has clocked a max speed north of 21 mph. The wide receiver can flip the field on offense in the blink of an eye and has great length and closing speed to project at corner. Now he needs to continue to refine his game. The top-ranked athlete in his class has elite upside and more than 20 FBS offers. – Tucker ESPN

Arrington is an elite athlete that has a chance to be a difference maker on both sides of the ball like Colorado’s Travis Hunter and the speed to create big plays on special teams as a return man.

The Sooners also have offers out to offensive tackle [autotag]Immanuel Iheanacho[/autotag] (No. 17), offensive tackle [autotag]Jackson Cantwell[/autotag] (No. 13), tight end [autotag]Kendre Harrison[/autotag] (No. 10), and defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah Griffin[/autotag] (No. 8). There is varied interest in Oklahoma, but the Sooners will have their opportunity to move the needle on the recruiting trail.

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UNC basketball recruiting target posts big double-double at Peach Jam

UNC basketball recruiting target Kendre Harrison posts a big double-double.

The pursuit of in-state dual-sport recruit Kendre Harrison continues for the North Carolina Tar Heels both on the football field and basketball court.

North Carolina made the top six for the talented recruit as he made a big update to his recruitment last week. As the top tight end and a five-star football recruit, Harrison has the attention of some big programs. But over the past week or so, his basketball skills have taken center stage.

During a win on Saturday at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam event, Harrison helped lead Team CP3 16U to a big 29-point win. In that win, he posted a double-double, scoring 25 points and grabbing 17 rebounds:

Harrison has expressed interest in playing basketball during college as well but will focus on football. North Carolina is a good program to offer him for both.

After updating his list to a top six, Harrison will focus on those programs and then some visits down the line. It’s certainly a recruitment to pay attention to for North Carolina fans.

Harrison and Team CP3 16U will play for the Peach Jam title on Sunday.

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2026 five-star tight end includes Vols in top six

2026 five-star tight end includes Tennessee in top six schools.

2026 five-star tight end Kendre Harrison named Tennessee as one of his top six schools.

Harrison’s top six schools are Tennessee, Miami, Oregon, North Carolina, Penn State and Florida State,

The 6-foot-7, 243 pound tight end prospect is from Reidsville High School in Reidsville, North Carolina.

Harrison is ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect in the class of 2026. He ranks as the No. 1 tight end and No. 1 player in North Carolina, according to 247Sports.

Harrison is a two-sport athlete, rating as a four-star power forward in basketball.

The Vols offered a scholarship to Harrison on Jan. 23 2023. The tight end unofficially visited Tennessee three times.

Nation’s No. 1 TE puts Oregon Ducks among top schools

The Oregon Ducks landed among the top schools for 5-star TE Kendre Harrison, the No. 1 TE in the 2026 class.

Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks have the 2025 recruiting class looking like it could be one of the best in program history, and the future is looking just as bright in Eugene.

On Monday evening, 5-star tight end Kendre Harrison, the No. 1 TE in the 2026 class, announced his top six schools, putting the Ducks in the mix. Alongside Oregon is North Carolina, Tennessee, Penn State, Florida State, and Miami.

At 6-foot-7, Harrison is also planning to try and play basketball at the next level, so he will likely pick a school that excels in both sports. The Ducks certainly fit that bill after making an impressive run at the end of the 2023-24 season under Dana Altman, winning the last-ever Pac-12 Championship game.

At the moment, the Ducks have a single commitment in the 2026 class — 4-star DL Tony Cumberland. There is not yet a date that has been set for Harrison’s commitment, but we will likely see him take a visit to Eugene in the coming months.

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North Carolina football makes top 6 for prized in-state recruit

The UNC football program is one of six program that made the cut for Kendre Harrison on Monday.

Mack Brown and the North Carolina Tar Heels football program took a big step forward for a top recruiting target in the 2026 class on Monday.

Five-star tight end Kendre Harrison made a big update to his recruitment, cutting his list of 28 offers down to a top six. And in that top six are the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Joining UNC is Tennessee, Penn State, Oregon, Florida State, and Miami, as the recruit announced on Monday night. He will now focus on those six programs moving forward in his commitment and things will continue to heat up over the next year or so for Harrison.

Where do the North Carolina Tar Heels stand?

Landing in Harrison’s top six is obviously a big deal as the Tar Heels have taken a step forward in this recruitment. But are they the favorite for the Reidsville native?

Harrison is drawing comparisons to former UNC star and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Julius Peppers, and rightfully so. Peppers has also reportedly spoken to Harrison to give him some guidance which could work in the Tar Heels’ favor.

Getting an offer from Hubert Davis and the basketball program also plays a key role in this as well. Harrison has expressed interest in playing at least a year of basketball and looking at those programs, the Tar Heels probably have the most prestige.

Now, the focus shifts to when Harrison will be on UNC’s campus next.

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