Clemson, Brad Brownell Express Interest in Three-Star Combo Guard

The NCAA's initial contact period began this past Monday for the 2028 class, and Clemson's Brad Brownell is already making moves.

Standout CG Maurice Carter II has recently announced that he's received interest from Clemson and head coach Brad Brownell. | Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the NCAA's initial contact period kicking off June 15, both Clemson Football and Basketball have wasted no time reaching out to 2028 prospects, with offers already going out. Today, though, we're focusing the spotlight on basketball.

On Wednesday night, it was announced that Clemson had reached out to combo guard Maurice Carter II shortly after the period began, as first reported by Recruits Zone. 

Other schools he's heard from so far include: Nebraska, Kentucky, Michigan State, Florida State, Butler, UCSB, New Mexico, UCSD, Seattle, Eastern Washington, and UNLV, which pulled the trigger on an offer.

Carter is rated a three-star prospect and ranks as the No. 171 overall player, the No. 4 player at his position and the No. 9 recruit in the state of Arizona, according to the Rivals Industry.

INFO: 2028 four-star prospect Maurice Carter II (@mauricecarterii ) tells me he’s heard from the following schools since the initial contact period began:

Clemson
Nebraska
UCSB
UCSD
UNLV (offer)
New Mexico
Butler
Seattle
Eastern Washington pic.twitter.com/YC5aF4Wc0x

— Recruits Zone (Blake Smith) (@recruitszone) June 18, 2026

The 6-foot guard attends Willow Canyon in Surprise, Arizona, and has been a standout player on the hardwood since his middle school days.

Before making his high school debut, Carter stood out for Willow Canyon's summer hoops team, averaging 17.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3 steals per game.

Additionally, he turned heads on the AAU circuit while playing for Arizona Unity in both the Nike EYBL and Adidas 3SSB circuits. Carter earned Junior 3SSB Championships All-Tournament First Team honors and took home Made Hoops West Circuit MVP en route to a championship win, which was the program's fourth consecutive one at the time.

Maurice Carter was named West Coast Winter Circuit MVP 👑 👏 pic.twitter.com/pw03TG4xbs

— MADE Hoops (@madehoops) March 21, 2024

That momentum carried right into his freshman season, where he averaged 18.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.9 steals per game across 27 games. 

Following his debut campaign, he earned his first Division I offer from Cal. He continued to work throughout the summer for Arizona Unity, even being labeled as a standout following the 2025 Nike E15 Peach Jam in North August, South Carolina.

2025 Nike E15 Peach Jam Standouts@NikeEYB | @nikebasketball 🍑🏀 pic.twitter.com/72sqnZxW3Q

— Grady Majors (@GradyMajors) July 31, 2025

During this past season, Carter increased his production across the board, averaging 21 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game while leading the Wildcats to the 5A AIA Playoff Semifinals, where they'd fall to Central, 67-66.

Most recently, he's maintained his dominance while playing for the Compton Magic of the Adidas 3SSB Circuit, averaging 19.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game across eight contests. 

Carter's outstanding sophomore season has led to six more offers since February, including LSU, Jackson State, Nevada, High Point, Fresno State, and, as mentioned, UNLV.