Florida, UNC, and UConn among top options for 4-star wing Cole Cloer

One of the top forwards in the 2026 college basketball recruiting class is Cole Cloer, a 6’7 wing originally from the state of North Carolina. He’s a legit multi-way scorer who could become a good 3 and D prospect over time. Cloer is a consensus four-star and top-40 prospect who has risen into potential 5-star status in the next set of recruiting updates.

The list of teams in the running for Cloer is official, with eight teams mentioned in the latest announcement. Here’s how he would fit with each of the reported contenders.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The Crimson Tide is one of the best offenses in all of college basketball, and for a talent like Cloer, they make sense. The team’s wing depth includes freshman Amari Allen and not much else. Unless they land a couple of transfer wings, there’s a path to playing time for this prospect.

Florida Gators

Being the reigning national champions, look for the Gators' next couple of recruiting classes to take a major leap. One of their biggest needs lies in the wing positions, as forward Alex Condon is expected to play at the three-spot. That or we’ll see three-guard lineups next season. Cloer would have a clear path towards being in the rotation as soon as his freshman campaign.

Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana is an interesting option because they’re set to lose several senior newcomers, including Tucker DeVries and Lamar Wilkerson. The x-factor to watch is Trent Sisley, a four-star small forward freshman who’ll have a hard time finding minutes but could be a surprise contributor, which could dictate how appealing the Hoosiers will be for other wing prospects.

Louisville Cardinals

The wing depth for Louisville is expected to be among the best this upcoming season, led by senior transfers Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely. Both of them will be gone after next year, leaving just former top-50 commit Khani Rooths around. The Cardinals are in the mix for a number of top class of 2026 prospects besides Cloer, but he could be the ideal replacement for one of those wings once they depart.

NC State Wolfpack

New Coach Will Wade landed a bench of seniors on the roster via the portal, including Terrance Arceneaux and Quadir Copeland. There’s also FSU junior forward Jerry Deng, who’s a combo forward reserve. Cloer would get a large role with this option and would play in an offense-friendly system.

UNC Tar Heels

Coach Hubert Davis has done well with perimeter-based players, including last year’s top-50 wing prospects, Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. This upcoming season, the team has former WVU forward Jonathan Powell and incoming freshmen, Isaiah Denis and Luka Bogavac. Both the Wolfpack and Tar Heels are the local options for Cloer, which makes this specific recruitment all the more interesting if they’re the finalists. 

UConn Huskies

UConn lost Liam McNeeley to the NBA Draft this offseason and has several options to replace him. Jayden Ross and Jaylin Stewart are breakout candidates, while four-star freshman Jacon Murphy could be a big-time first-year contributor to watch. Cloer would have to be careful of a logjam at this option.

Virginia Cavaliers

New HC Ryan Odom is another coach with a great history of developing perimeter players. His last star player was Max Shulga, a 6’5 guard/wing who was the A-10 Player of the Year. With most of the incoming transfers for the Cavaliers all being seniors, Cloer would be a great first pickup for the program’s 2026 class.