North Carolina and new coach Michael Malone has made an addition to the 2026-27 roster to build frontcourt depth. The Tar Heels received a commitment from a developmental post player in Northwestern transfer Cade Bennerman, he announced with On3’s Joe Tipton on Monday.
Bennerman, who’s listed at 7-feet and 205 pounds with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, redshirted this past season at Northwestern and thus did not play in a regular season game. He has four years of college eligibility remaining.
He is the No. 29 center in the transfer portal according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Bennerman was a late riser on the recruiting scene out of Nashville (Tenn.) Father Ryan High School. He had been recruited by the Florida Atlantic staff that then reconnected with him once Dusty May took over at Michigan, made a late offer and hosted him for an official visit. Bennerman ultimately chose Northwestern over co-finalists Michigan and South Florida. He also received interest from Cal and Penn State.
“Cade is a huge upside player,” Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said after signing him. “He’s long, athletic, and has skill with good hands and feet. Cade can run the floor at his size, play at the high post, make shots and handle the ball. We feel his best days are ahead of him…”
Bennerman averaged 13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks as a senior at Father Ryan. He was ranked the No. 26 center in the 2025 high school class by the Rivals Industry Ranking.
While UNC has not yet secured a starting center for next season, with Henri Veesaar entering the NBA Draft, the Tar Heels have added depth at the position, first with Florida Atlantic’s Maxim Logue and now Bennerman. Both are players that UNC aims to develop in Chapel Hill.
Teaching and player development have been points of emphasis from Malone since being hired at UNC earlier this month. Malone spoke to those aspects of coaching during his introductory press conference.
“… I love this game,” Malone said. “I have a passion for the game of basketball. Have a passion for teaching the game of basketball, which I learned from my father.
“(The players) don’t want me just to help them become a better basketball player. They want somebody that’s going to mentor them and help them become the best young men that they possibly can be. And that’s something that I do not take lightly, and I look forward to doing.
“We have some young players coming into the program, and I want to be there for them. I want to help them develop into a full package, not just as a player, because we want to win games, but I want that player to keep coming back because he knows that we had their best interest in heart, in all factors of their life.”
