Urgency is the perfect word to describe the current vibe for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who will have a new head coach in 2026, with Michael Malone replacing Hubert Davis.
With that coaching change comes roster changes, which have already begun with several players from last year’s team departing for the transfer portal. The Tar Heels’ backcourt has taken the biggest hit of any position this offseason, with Seth Trimble, Derek Dixon, Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, and Dylan Mingo all exiting Chapel Hill. While Trimble is forced to leave due to graduation, the rest of the aforementioned players elected to leave the historical program.
Those losses leave a major void, and Arkansas transfer Karter Knox has been linked to North Carolina after Malone hired Chuck Martin as his top assistant coach. The 57-year-old successfully recruited Knox to the Razorbacks in 2024, a move that is a driving force behind the Tar Heels’ connection with the sophomore guard.
On Tuesday, CBS Sports’ college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported that Knox is visiting with the Louisville Cardinals.
What This Means for North Carolina
Louisville may have landed Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad in the transfer portal, but that does not suffice for head coach Pat Kelsey. The Cardinals are continuing to aggressively pursue notable “free agents”, and Knox would be a major addition to the program…