Maximo Adams Commits to North Carolina

North Carolina’s nearly 10-month drought on the high school recruiting trail is over. On Friday, 2026 forward Maximo Adams announced his commitment to Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels.

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He chose Carolina over finalists Texas, Michigan State, and Kentucky. He also held offers from Alabama, Arizona State, BYU, Duke, Kansas, Houston, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Purdue, Syracuse, Washington, and West Virginia.

The 6-foot-7 forward out of the Sierra Canyon School in Southern California checks in at No. 20 in the Rivals Industry Rankings.

“Adams is one of the more complete wings on the offensive side of the ball in the 2026 class,” said Inside Carolina analyst Sean Moran. “He runs the court well in transition where he can attack the basket from the wings. He is a pure shooter in catch and shoot situations with solid form in the halfcourt set as well. With his size, Adams likes to post up smaller defenders when given the opportunity. He is not an iso-type player, but knows how to attack angles and move off the ball. Defensively, Adams can guard either forward spot and is comfortable guarding on the perimeter. He attacks the glass hard and his length can disrupt opposing players in the half-court set.”

Adams arrived on North Carolina’s radar this past summer, after standout performances on Nike’s EYBL circuit. His summer culminated with a standout performance at Peach Jam in July, where he averaged 18.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 40% from three. The Tar Heels offered soon thereafter.

“He (Davis) said I’m a unique player because I can play multiple positions,” Adams told Inside Carolina after his official visit. “He likes that I’m versatile and said that makes me a great fit for their system… that worked for me, because I consider myself a ‘2’ through ‘4’ that can shoot the ball, play in the post, handle, bring the ball up the court… a positionless player.”

Adams’ rise to blue blood offers and an eventual commitment to UNC almost didn’t happen. Industry sources told Rivals reporter Joe Tipton that USC was out in front and pushing for a commitment when he took a visit there in June. But Adams wanted to stay firm to a fall commitment and see what new schools would eventually jump into his recruitment.

As UNC started to prioritize Adams, he also spent more time on the phone with Davis. The conversations led to a late October visit that, ultimately, pushed the Tar Heels to the front of his recruitment.

“I love how he interacts with the players,” Adams said of Davis. “He’s very energetic and engages a lot with them. And then he’s just a super cool dude. Like we talked about stuff outside of basketball like other sports and life things. It was great having a lot of good conversations.”

As the lone commitment in UNC’s 2026 recruiting class, Adams is set to join a Carolina squad that could return most of its roster next season, including forward Jarin Stevenson, and guards/wings Jonathan Powell and Luka Bogavac. A commitment from Adams provides forward depth and shooting for the 2026-27 team.

Since striking out on consensus top 25 recruits in his first full high school class, Davis has signed Elliot Cadeau (Michigan), Ian Jackson (St. John’s), Drake Powell (NBA), and Caleb Wilson in his last three classes. Adams is the first player from California to commit to UNC under Davis.