Just when we thought the NCAA had enough chaos to deal with!
On Friday, Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney of the U.S. District Court in Colorado issued a preliminary injunction, granting an extra year of college eligibility for athletes in the high school graduating class of 2022.
As you might expect, shortly after the ruling, college programs across the country began to game plan.
Michael Malone and UNC have been searching for one more big man to complete their 2026-2027 roster. They have been heavily connected to Florida transfer Micah Handlogten, who was part of the group that was granted an additional year of eligibility as part of this ruling, but that doesn't mean that the Tar Heels are focused on just one potential option.
While Jalen Washington, a former Tar Heel, doesn't seem to be an option, Cameron Fens of South Dakota State appears to have piqued the Tar Heels' interest.
UNC wastes no time reaching out to South Dakota State transfer Cameron Fens
When the big news dropped on Friday, Fens was one of the newly granted fifth-year players to voice his excitement on social media.
All glory to god. Finally earned my 5th year of eligibility and am open for recruitment pic.twitter.com/vEbX40Y0ur
— cameronfens54 (@cameronfens54) August 1, 2026
Programs across the country quickly identified Fens as a potential target for their team, including Malone and the UNC basketball program.
Cameron Fens was one of many players who were granted a fifth season by a judge on Friday. Hours later, North Carolina's staff made initial contact with the seven-footer from South Dakota. Report from @CoachDavidSisk. https://t.co/VI1FYNPa64
— Andrew Jones (@AJTarHeel247) August 1, 2026
A seven-foot center from Dubuque, Iowa, Fens started his college career at UIC before spending the last two seasons at South Dakota. He's coming off his best overall season, averaging 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He's not a guy who is going to stretch the floor, doing all of his damage from within the three-point line, but he's the type of big man that UNC is looking for.
Let's face it: how often is it that a guy who was in the 99th percentile nationally in rebounding becomes available at this point in the offseason?
The UNC basketball program's frontcourt is rather lean at this point, as the additions previously made are guys who still need to bulk up a bit as they develop at the college level. Rens is a guy who already has developed his body, coming in at 255 pounds, as he would be the perfect mold for what North Carolina needs to solidify the roster.
Of course, UNC won't be alone in its pursuit of Rens. Since the eligibility news surfaced, Rens has heard from a handful of programs, including:
Auburn
Fresno St
Washington
Virginia Tech
Ole Miss
UCF
Creighton
With this new wave of college basketball free agency upon us, expect to hear that the Tar Heels are showing interest in a variety of players who can now play one more season. While the focus will likely be on the frontcourt, it will be interesting to see if the Tar Heels try to improve its roster in other ways as well, but multiple additions would become rather sticky given the program only has one current roster space to work with.
For now, expect the Tar Heels to be heavy players in the frontcourt market, aiming to add a quality big man to bolster what the program already put together this offseason.
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