Five Promising North Carolina Prospects in the 2026 Class

Long thought of as a "basketball state" with the Tar Heels and Blue Devils sitting on the Mount Rushmore of basketball programs, North Carolina has elite football players too. Traditionally schools from the greater Charlotte area, specifically the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, finish ranked amongst the top 100 high schools football programs in the country. While these athletes are still a ways out from achieving success on the high school level, here are a few 8th graders (class of 2026) that are impressing early. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-223298 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/ScotlandDoverRT-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />[player_tooltip player_id="212409" first="Scottland" last="Dover"] | Offensive Line/Defensive Line | Shelby Middle School</strong> <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/10/player-spotlight-2026-north-carolina-monster-scottland-dover/">Already named a UA Next All-American</a></strong>, Dover is an attention-grabber at first look due to his immense size at 6-foot-3 and 276 pounds. Right now he plays offensive tackle and has pretty good feet for an 8^th grader at this size, aided by also being a hooper. He’s a big, powerful kid already and it’s going to be scary once he gets into a legitimate weight program at the next level. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-223920 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/BanksCutter-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Banks Cutter | Athlete | Charlotte Latin</strong> Cutter is the unquestioned alpha male on the Charlotte Latin football team for the class of 2026. I’ve listed him as an athlete because he can play multiple positions at 6-foot-2 and 177 pounds—but his future could be as a tight end. Cutter has good body and reliable hands. Furthermore, with his athleticism (also a standout lacrosse player), he has some of the best catch-and-run skills out of any tight end I’ve come across in the class. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-223921 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/CameronMelvin-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Cameron Melvin | Linebacker/Running Back | Cleveland Middle School</strong> Melvin is a big back at 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds that consistently pounds the rock and wears defenses down with his size and power. Melvin doesn’t have the speed or quickness at this point of many of the other top backs in the class, but he consistently moves the chains. Also a linebacker on defense, he helped lead Cleveland Middle School to an undefeated season and conference championship. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-223922 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/milesfunderburk-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Miles Funderburk | Offensive Line | Providence Day</strong> Providence Day School always turns out a number of next-level kids each year and Funderburk has the potential to be the next one for the class of 2026. Currently 5-foot-11 and 230 pounds he plays significantly bigger than that and is downright nasty in the trenches. He has advanced technique and knowledge at this point and has already been camping at Clemson. Expect him to be pancaking kids for the next four years. <strong><img class="alignleft wp-image-223929 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/10/SamariMatthews-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />Samari Matthews | Athlete | Ridge Road Middle School</strong> Love the ‘dog’ in this kid when watching him play. Offensively you can split him out wide and he’s going to catch everything thrown his way, or, in the very least, make sure nobody else catches it. Defensively, he’s the complete package in the secondary. He can completely blanket receivers as a corner; or as a safety he covers a ton of ground with this length at 5-foot-11. However, one thing that can’t be overlooked, is his ability to lay the wood. He uses his 165 pounds to aid in run support and can flat out hit.