North Carolina has star-studded 2026 class

Among these six exceptional talents, three are already committed to Division I programs, and the other three easily could be before you know it. They are all very talented, skilled and hard-working players who have earned the right to be highlighted.    McMahon can play at all three levels and make an impact. I've seen her play as a forward, making well-timed runs, displaying great body control and scoring goals from different angles in different ways. She can be a ball-winner who can lock down an opponent, and most of all, when she's in the midfield she is a player that can pull all the strings. She has great anticipation and vision, seeing play open up before defenders can react to what she is seeing. She plays balls quickly and decisively and will take the small victories over trying to always make a flashy play. Her ability on the ball make her dangerous no matter where she is as she can be a force in the final third or play deeper and carry the ball up the pitch.     Wilson is an impressive player. She really likes to pressure high and can force teams into mistakes, and when she does, she pounces on them. She is very collected on the ball, not rushing, and is quite good at laying a ball off and then making a run into space, or dragging defenders with her to open up more space. She can finish from anywhere, scoring with her head, on volleys or by creating. She can really drive at defenders, get them wrong-footed and then explode past them.     Peterson is really agile and quick, showing tremendous ability to stop and start, to switch feet or change direction as she is constantly keeping defenders off balance. She can take on several defenders when she's carrying the ball down the pitch, and can usually make easy work of them. She also takes the ball down so neatly and in a very tidy fashion that she can then turn quickly and shoot, or make one move to free up space and get a shot off. She is a tremendous finisher with a great instinct of where to be in order to be a threat and how to finish.     Bradley is a player that sees the forest for the trees. She is all about movement. She moves incredibly well off the ball, constantly moving and shifting the defense, creating space and occupying space. When on the ball, she likes to move the ball quickly. She is as comfortable playing facing goal as she is with her back to goal. She makes a pass and then moves, and looks to be dangerous. She can really cut the ball back or switch feet well to create a shot, showing the ability to create on her own. Her ability to make well-timed runs or come across the face of goal and be available also make her a dangerous scoring threat.     Kaestner shows great lateral movement as she is exceptionally quick side-to-side. She is tough to beat at her near post and covers her fast post very well because of her quickness and athleticism. She really positions herself well and shows really good footwork. Her ability to make saves from point blank range and stonewall attackers that have been able to get inside the area can really turn a match around.     Gilbert is a strong center back with terrific ball skills. She is really physical on defense, she shows great closing speed and she is an excellent tackler. She's also very good on the ball, showing the ability to possess, to move the ball and help the build, or move up the pitch with the ball. She's particular dangerous off set pieces and corners, posing a major threat on headers as she really reads the ball in the air well, attacks it and puts her head through it.

Among these six exceptional talents, three are already committed to Division I programs, and the other three easily could be before you know it. They are all very talented, skilled and hard-working players who have earned the right to be highlighted.