Photo credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
UNC Basketball: Belgian Recruit Says 'That's My Dream School'
St. Rose High School (N.J.) sophomore Jayden Hodge, the younger brother of recent 2024 Villanova commit Matthew Hodge, is a 6-foot-5, 180-pound combo guard from Belgium. He's approaching five-star status at No. 31 on the 247Sports 2026 Composite. And it sounds like he's craving UNC basketball interest.
"I definitely want to visit UNC," Jayden Hodge told 247Sports' Dushawn London this week. "That's my dream school. Outside of them, I want to visit the schools that offer me and show real interest."
Thus far, he's earned offers from the likes of Maryland, Temple, Seton Hall, Penn State, and Old Dominion (where his father, Odell Hodge, is the program's third-leading scorer in history with his 2,117 points for the Monarchs in the mid-1990s).
But it's still extremely early in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Hodge's offers should multiply by this time next year.
Matthew Hodge, a four-star power forward who boasts a No. 98 composite ranking in the 2024 class and grew up rooting for the Blue Devils over the Tar Heels despite their parents being UNC basketball fans, recently provided Pro Insight a scouting report on his younger brother:
"Jayden's strength, I would say, is his ability to play defense, but mostly play both ends of the court. He's a great playmaker, scorer, shooter, and passer...But I think the thing he takes pride in that a lot of people don't see is his defensive effort. He will always defend the best player on the opposite team, no matter the age he is... So, the pride on the defensive end, I feel like it's the most unique thing about my brother."
UNC has shown interest in several current high school sophomores but has not handed out any 2026 offers.
Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball recruiting news.
