How NIL Evaluations Illustrate UNC’s Difficult ACC Path

Player movement has dominated the landscape of college sports in recent years, making the transfer portal the main avenue for building a championship-level roster.

That was apparent this offseason, as multiple college basketball programs invested more than $20 million in NIL across their rosters. The North Carolina Tar Heels spent around $20 million to construct their 2026 team. On Friday, CEO and Founder of EvanMiya.com, Evan Miyakawa, compiled a list of the 10 most valuable rosters based on NIL player evaluations. It's important to note that these figures don't represent how much these programs spent. It's based on players’ market value.

Miyakawa prefaces this stating, "If a team spent way less than this, it means they got a discount on some great players." In this top-10 list of most valuable rosters, the ACC features multiple teams, illustrating North Carolina's path in the conference. Here's a look at those programs and where they sit.

1. Duke Blue Devils: $27.7 Million

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on against the UConn Huskies in the first half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It goes without saying that the Blue Devils are the most complete team in all of college basketball. Not only did head coach Jon Scheyer compile the No. 2 2026 recruiting class, according to ESPN, landing elite prospects Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Deron Rippey Jr., Cameron Williams, and Bryson Howard, but he also signed Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski.

Those only include the additions to the roster. Duke also retained Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr, Patrick Ngongba II, and Caleb Foster. Obviously, the Blue Devils' brass had to spend big time on this talent. Again, the above amount isn't what they spent; rather, it reflects how much the respective rosters are valued at.

5. Louisville Cardinals: $21.7 Million

Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey during the Cards' 104-45 win over South Carolina State at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Monday night, Nov. 3, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Louisville has no excuse not to push for the ACC and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament with the marquee assets it infused into this year's roster. Those additions include Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga, Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad, Arkansas transfer Karter Knox, and Iowa transfer Alvaro Folgueiras. The Cardinals also landed 5-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr.

Adrian Wooley was the only notable retention from last season's roster, which could cause growing pains due to a lack of cohesion. Nonetheless, Louisville has one of the best rosters heading into the upcoming season.

6. Miami Hurricanes: $21.5 Million

Mar 7, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Jai Lucas reacts in a game against the Louisville Cardinals during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Romance-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Throughout the offseason, the Hurricanes have been heralded as one of the most underrated teams heading into the 2026-27 college basketball season. Miami spent up in the portal, signing Robert Morris transfer DeSean Goode, Saint Peter's transfer Brent Bland, and Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis, among others. The Hurricanes also landed 5-star forward Caleb Gaskins.

Because some of these additions came from mid-major programs, Miami's activity in the transfer portal has been overlooked. The Hurricanes are not on the same tier as Duke and Louisville, but they are a dark horse in the ACC.

What This All Means for UNC

Mar 27, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; The North Carolina Tar Heels logo on the video board during practice prior to NCAA Tournament at West Regional at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It's been well documented that the Tar Heels' path to compete in the ACC is daunting, to say the least. We didn’t even mention Virginia, which didn’t rely heavily on the portal to build a competitive team because head coach Ryan Odom kept most of his 2025 key rotation players, while sprinkling in a handful of underrated transfer portal acquisitions.

As mentioned, North Carolina also spent a lot on its roster. But the talent accumulated by the aforementioned programs, specifically Duke and Louisville, shows how much of an uphill battle the Tar Heels face in the ACC. That said, head coach Michael Malone should make a significant impact and maximize the potential at his disposal.

Many currently view North Carolina as the fifth-best team in the ACC behind the teams discussed earlier. These evaluations prove that the Tar Heels will have their work cut out for them in a much-improved ACC.

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