Heel Tough Blog: UNC's Cameron Fens Deemed Ineligible Per Report

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Even with the start of the fall semester, coaches across college basketball are wondering who on their roster might be eligible for the 2026-27 season, and who might not be, with so much uncertainty around 5th-year players. Last week, when Michael Malone met with the assembled media in Greensboro, he declared that everyone on his roster, including international imports Alexandros Samodurov and Sayon Keita, was cleared and ready to go for the upcoming season, while their status is still intact, another member of the frontcourt is now deemed ineligible. 

According to Noah Weiskoph of TarHeel247, Cameron Fens, who committed to UNC earlier this month after transferring away from South Dakota, has been deemed ineligible by the same Tennessee Court of Appeals. Fens, who averaged over 14 points and 8 rebounds last season for the Coyotes, was brought in to solidify a frontcourt rebuilt after losing both Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar to the NBA Draft, but now he will need the same court that has ruled him ineligible to overturn that ruling and allow him to play college basketball in 2026-27. 

With Fens now ineligible, UNC’s frontcourt consists of the aforementioned Samodurov and Keita, along with Northwestern transfer Cade Bennerman and Jarin Stevenson, who returned to UNC after the Hubert Davis firing, followed by the hire of Michael Malone. 

The eligibility crisis that’s currently plaguing college sports is the fault of none other than the NCAA, which could’ve avoided all the chaos and confusion had they simply grandfathered in student-athletes from the last academic calendar, after adopting the new 5-for-5 model earlier this summer. Instead, the sport will be clouded with injunctions and lawsuits, as college athletes seek eligibility to play their respective sport. With Fens now ineligible, you can add UNC to the list of schools that will have a player fighting for the right to play next season. 

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