By R.L. Bynum

Former Northwestern center Cade Bennerman has committed to North Carolina.

The 7–0, 205-pound center, who has a 7–5 wingspan, will be more of a developmental addition after redshirting during his first season at Northwestern.

His decision gives UNC another body at the five as the Tar Heels continue to reshape their roster and build depth after Henri Veesaar decided to head to the NBA.

For Bennerman, the move is another step in a recruitment arc that has always leaned on projection and patience. He emerged late in high school at Father Ryan High School in Nashville, and Northwestern’s staff pitched him on a plan that began with a redshirt year and would have continued with time in the weight room and on the practice floor.

When Northwestern signed him out of the 2025 class, Wildcats coach Chris Collins described his appeal.

“Cade is a huge upside player,” said Collins, a former Duke player and assistant coach. “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.”

A look at Mali center Keita, one possible UNC target to replace Veesaar

UNC’s evaluation starts with the same traits, length, mobility, and a base of skill that is unusual for a player of his size. As a high school senior, Bennerman averaged 13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.

Bennerman has never been shy about seeing himself as a modern big, and his quotes while he was recruited out of high school show a player UNC believes it can shape. When he committed to Northwestern in November 2024, Bennerman pointed to freedom for bigs.

“I felt like their playing style was the best fit for me,” Bennerman said when he committed to Northwestern. “I like the way they let their forwards and bigs handle the ball and play to their strengths.”

On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote while Bennerman was still in high school, “While there is still a long way until he hits his ceiling, there are not many 6-foot-11 people in the world who move as fluidly as Bennerman. He played effectively within himself, finishing plays around the basket and blocking shots around the rim. There is a clear pathway with his continued improvement.”

Bennerman was a three-star prospect and ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Tennessee and the No. 34 center in his class. In his senior season at Father Ryan High, he led the Irish to a 21-win season, their most since 2009.

For UNC, the bet is that length, skill, and time can produce a center who can impact games as a shot-blocker who runs the floor, and grows into the level of physical play the ACC demands.

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No.	Class	Player	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt
25	Freshman	Maximo Adams (MAX-ih-mo)	F	6–7	220
30	Freshman	Malloy Smith	G	6–5	180
21	Freshman	Sayon Keita (SIGH-on KAY-tuh)	C	7–0	205
5	Freshman	Kevin Thomas	W	6–6	205
35	Sophomore	Cade Bennerman — U	C	7–0	205
17	Sophomore	Neo Avdalas — W (NEE-oh ahv-DOLL-lus)	G	6–9	220
2	Sophomore	Isaiah Denis	G	6–4	185
3	Sophomore	Matt Able — X	G	6–5	200
22	Junior	Alex Samodurov (SAH-muh-DUHR-off)	C	6–11	225
1	Senior	Terrence Brown — Y	G	6–3	180
4	Senior	Jaydon Young (JAY-din)	G	6–4	200
15	Senior	Jarin Stevenson (JARE-in)	F	6–10	220
14	Graduate	Angelo Brizzi — Z (BRIZZ-ee)	G	6–3	200
54	Graduate	Cameron Fens — V (Fenz)	C	7–0	255
		Walk-ons
99	Junior	John Holbrook — SA	F	6–8	230
32	Senior	Evan Smith	G	6–1	200

V — South Dakota transfer; U — Northwestern transfer; W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — Utah transfer; Z — Buffalo transfer; SA — Holbrook is a designated student-athlete, so he doesn’t count against UNC’s 15-player limit.

Coach Michael Malone’s coaching staff — Associate head coach Chuck Martin; assistant coaches Bryan Tibaldi (tih-BALL-dee), Sean May, Jorge Sanz (HOR-hey sahnth), Pat Sullivan and Brandon Robinson; Director of player development Deon Thompson.

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Former players at other schools

Player	Class	Pos.	Hgt	Wgt	Next school
Luka Bogavac	Senior	W	6–6	215	Oklahoma State
James Brown	Senior	C	6–10	240	Howard
Derek Dixon	Sophomore	G	6–5	200	Arizona
Kyan Evans	Senior	G	6–2	175	Minnesota
Zayden High	Junior	C	6–10	230	South Florida
Jonathan Powell	Junior	G	6–6	190	Pittsburgh
Ivan Matlekovic	Junior	C	7–0	255	Pacific

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UNC schedule

Date	Month/day	Opponent/event (final ranks)
	October	Exhibitions
9	7 p.m. Friday, ACCN	vs. USC in Greensboro
18	5 p.m. Sunday	vs. Indiana in Indianapolis
27	7:30 Tuesday, ACCN Extra	vs. Charlotte
	November	Regular season
2	Monday	vs. Western Carolina
6	Friday	vs. Wofford
10	Tuesday	vs. Wyoming
13	Friday	vs. Georgia
20	Friday	vs. Marshall
23	Monday	vs. Monmouth
27	Friday, 7 p.m.	Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte
	December
1	Tuesday, 7:30, ESPN2	ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas
6	Sunday	vs. Butler
12	Saturday afternoon	at Georgetown
15	7 p.m. Tuesday	Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro
19	2:30 Saturday, CBS	CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York
21	Monday	vs. The Citadel
30	Wednesday	vs. California
	January
2	Saturday	at Boston College
5	7 p.m. Tuesday	at Louisville
9	Saturday	vs. N.C. State
13	Wednesday	at Florida State
16	Saturday	vs. Stanford
19	Tuesday	vs. No. 17 Virginia
23	Saturday	at Syracuse
26	Tuesday	vs. SMU
30	Saturday	Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn.
	February
2	Tuesday	at Notre Dame
6	Saturday	vs. Georgia Tech
8	Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN	vs. Louisville
13	Saturday, 5:30, ABC	at No. 4 Duke
20	Saturday	at Wake Forest
22	Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN	vs. No. 24 Miami
27	Saturday	at Virginia Tech
	March
2	Tuesday	at Pittsburgh
6	Saturday	vs. No. 4 Duke
9–13	Tues.-Sat.	ACC tournament in Greensboro

Photo via nusports.com