Kentucky recruiting target Maximo Adams commits to another Blue Blood

Maximo Adams has opted for a different Blue Blood program.

On Friday afternoon, small forward Adams announced his commitment to North Carolina, choosing the Tar Heels over Kentucky, Michigan State, and Texas. The 6-foot-7 native of California is considered a four-star recruit and the No. 20 overall prospect from the 2026 recruiting cycle, per the Rivals Industry Ranking.

Adams took official visits to all four of his finalists, including a trip to Lexington back in September. He’s the younger brother of Marcus Adams Jr., who played for Kentucky head coach Mark Pope when the two were at BYU together during the 2023-24 season. But in the end, that connection wasn’t enough for Adams to follow in his sibling’s footsteps.

NEWS: 2026 Top-20 recruit Maximo Adams has committed to North Carolina, he tells @Rivals.

The 6-7 small forward chose the Tar Heels over Kentucky, Michigan State, and Texas. https://t.co/NZ91PdqDWy pic.twitter.com/oqAcwFlDDH
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) November 14, 2025

With the early signing period opening on Wednesday (Nov. 12) and remaining open until next Wednesday (Nov. 19), Kentucky is still looking to add its first commit from this cycle. Another former UK target, five-star power forward Cam Williams, committed to Duke shortly before Adams committed to UNC. But Pope and his staff have several more irons in the fire and continue to trend as the frontrunners for a pair of five-star wings: Tyran Stokes (No. 1 in 2026) and Christian Collins (No. 12).

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Neither Stokes nor Collins has announced when they’ll be committing. Stokes is also considering Kansas and Oregon, while Collins is also looking at Southern California and UCLA. But as of right now, intel reports indicate that UK is in a great spot with both. Kentucky is also in the mix with the likes of Caleb Holt (No. 2), Jordan Smith Jr. (No. 6), Baba Oladotun (No. 7), Deron Rippey Jr. (No. 10), and Arafan Diane (No. 16).

The ‘Cats could certainly use some momentum in the recruiting world before the early signing period wraps up next week.

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