Inside No. 1 Lacrosse Recruit James Holbrough's Commitment to UNC

James Holbrough, the No. 1 high school lacrosse recruit in the class of 2027 per Inside Lacrosse, will be a Tar Heel. The five-star attackman is one of six 2027 Tar Heel recruits ranked inside the top 20 in the nation. In two springs from now this will further bolster head coach Joe Breschi’s team, which currently ranks No. 5 in the country with a 6-1 record. 

Though the six-foot, 175-pound junior from Berkshire, Mass. is a scoring machine for his club, Sweetlax Upstate, and prep academy, Berkshire School, Holbrough prefers to think of himself as a pass-first attackman with a flair for showy plays when they are required. Over the course of his sophomore season of high school lacrosse, the attackman netted 48 goals and 38 assists to total 86 points for the Berkshire Bears. 

“I’d say I’m a bit of a quarterback,” Holbrough told Inside Carolina. “I play behind the net mostly and kind of read the field… I’m also not afraid to get to the net and score a goal as well, and to add on to that, I think I play a little bit flashy but also in a good, creative way.” 

Immediate Connection

North Carolina’s recruitment of Holbrough took off the second he became a junior by NCAA standards on September 1, with Tar Heel offensive coordinator Jon Thompson calling him at midnight — the first recruiting call he received. 

That same day, Holbrough came down to Chapel Hill for an official visit and knew North Carolina was the place he wanted to play. While on campus, he attended the UNC-TCU football game and met the Tar Heel lacrosse coaching staff and current players. The connections he built while on his visit — along with the relationship he already had with Thompson — made his decision a no-brainer. 

“I really just felt like, in my heart, Carolina was definitely gonna be the spot,” Holbrough recalled about the visit, which led to a commitment announcement two weeks later. “I was looking for an offensive coordinator that I could really connect with and learn from in so many ways, and (Thompson) is such a great coach, but also just a great person.” 

No. 1 Ranking

Holbrough will join UNC’s roster in the spring of 2028 and will likely make an immediate impact for the program. As a high school junior, however, he hopes to continue to grow in his game and soak up all he can from the veteran players who will welcome him to North Carolina when he makes the jump to collegiate athletics. 

With the weight of being the No. 1 overall recruit in his class, Holbrough does his best to manage the pressure — using it to further fuel his work ethic to stay on top. 

“It’s a big honor to be ranked the No. 1 player; it’s something I dreamed about since I was a little kid,” Holbrough said. “The way that I try to get around all of the pressure is to kind of embrace it and think about how hard I’ve worked to get to this spot and to continue to grow, knowing that nothing is going to be given to me because I’m the No. 1 player.” 

Joining Holbrough in UNC’s 2027 recruiting class are fellow Top 20-ranked prospects Anthony Asaro of Garden City (N.Y.) High, Luke St. Pierre of Lawrenceville (N.J.) School, Cole Stankavage of Charlotte (N.C.) Ardrey Kell, Christopher Colsey of Ridgefield (Conn.) High and Tripp King of Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola.