North Carolina’s wait on Cameron Fens has turned into one of the more annoying little soap operas of the preseason.
The Tar Heels’ likely starting center and South Dakota transfer is still sitting on the outside looking in, even as plenty of other fifth-year players around college basketball have been cleared for the 2026-27 season. For UNC fans, the question has been obvious: why does everybody else seem to be moving forward while Fens remains stuck?
The answer starts with the NCAA’s “five-for-five” rule. In June 2026, the NCAA approved a new policy that gives Division I and II student-athletes five seasons of eligibility in five years, which is why people keep referring to it that way. The clock starts at the first full-time college enrollment or at the beginning of the academic year after a player turns 19, whichever comes first.
But that new system doesn’t reach back and cover everyone. Players who entered college in the class of 2022, including Fens, are still being handled under the old rule. That has pushed a number of players from that class into lawsuits against the NCAA as they try to get access to the newer eligibility model.
The twist is that there isn’t one universal ruling settling the matter for everyone. These cases are being filed in different states, and that means different courts can land on different answers. So two players in almost the exact same spot can wind up with totally different results.
Seth Trimble is a good example. The former Tar Heel and now Louisville Cardinal is in a similar position to Fens, but because Trimble filed in Kentucky while Fens filed in Tennessee, Trimble has been temporarily deemed eligible, along with the other players involved in that case.
For North Carolina, the timing couldn’t be more frustrating. In the Tar Heels’ first two exhibition games, it’s been clear they could use their seven-foot center, but there still hasn’t been any encouraging update on his status.
For now, Fens can still practice and take part in team activities. He just cannot play on opening night for the Heels, at least as things stand today.
In Other News...
UNC Landed A Guard Whose Road To Chapel Hill Suddenly Changed
Kevin Thomas path to Chapel Hill took a sharp turn after he first picked LSU, then asked for a release when the Tigers moved on from Matt McMahon and brought in Will Wade. The four-star guard eventually landed at North Carolina, where Michael Malones staff added a prospect whose recruitment changed as fast as the coaching carousel did, and where a familiar face in former high school teammate Matt Able helped make the transition feel a little less new.
Thomas already got his first taste of the college game in an exhibition for UNC, logging four minutes and making his presence felt on the defensive end. It was a small opening night sample, but for a player whose road to campus shifted so suddenly, even a brief debut offered a first glimpse of how he might fit into the Tar Heels backcourt picture. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs NC State Rivalry Just Lost The Coach Heels Fans Hated
Dave Doerens run at NC State is over, ending a 14-year tenure that made him the winningest coach in Wolfpack history and one of the most familiar figures in the Tar Heels biggest in-state rivalry. His teams went 98-74, and for UNC fans the part that will linger most is the 9-4 mark against the Heels, a streak of success that helped define the matchup for more than a decade.
NC State made the move after a loss to Stanford left the Wolfpack at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play, and running backs coach Todd Goebbel will take over as interim head coach. The university now begins a national search for Doerens replacement, resetting a rivalry that has had the same face across the field for so long. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Womens Soccer Just Sent Another Message To The Top 10
Another top-10 test ended the same way for Carolina women's soccer, with the Tar Heels finding just enough to separate themselves from a heavyweight opponent. No. 1 UNC beat No. 7 Stanford 1-0 in a tight, physical match, and Bella Devey's goal in the 70th minute proved to be the difference in a game where chances were hard to come by.
Peyton Trayer did her part to make the lone strike stand up, finishing with a career-high seven saves to preserve the shutout. It was Carolina's second top-10 win of the season and its ninth shutout overall, another reminder that this group keeps answering big challenges with the kind of edge that travels deep into the postseason conversation. [Read more 🡒]