If there is one area on the North Carolina Tar Heels’ roster that remains a major question mark heading into next season, it is the frontcourt rotation, specifically at the center position.
North Carolina’s starting center spot is etched in stone, with Sayon Keita presumably locking that down. However, the depth behind the overseas talent and five-star recruit is incredibly shallow. Northwestern transfer Cade Bennerman is the only other prototypical center on the roster, and he redshirted his freshman season in 2025.
If Maxim Logue, who originally transferred from Florida Atlantic to North Carolina this offseason, had not withdrawn from the program, I would feel a lot more comfortable about this situation. In fact, I don’t believe head coach Michael Malone would be pursuing other center options overseas if he knew he had this three-man center rotation in place. However, the 54-year-old coach correctly assesses that he needs one more piece in the frontcourt to cement this roster. That said, it appears that Malone’s answer to this problem does not only apply to European talent, as North Carolina is currently in talks with a center in the SEC.
Who Are the Tar Heels Speaking With?
Reports surfaced this week that North Carolina has reached out to Florida Gators’ center Micah Handlogten in the transfer portal. The 7-foot-1 senior center is from Huntersville, North Carolina, and is awaiting the NCAA’s ruling on a medical redshirt waiver he submitted in hopes of giving him one more year of eligibility.
In 34 games this past season, Handlogten averaged 4.1 points and 5.9 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per contest. The veteran big man would be entering a similar situation, as he played behind Rueben Chinyelu, who earned the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
Why This Would Be a Good Addition?
The Tar Heels are in desperate need of rotational players in the frontcourt, and not only would acquiring Handlogten solve that problem, but his experience would be monumental in that locker room. Keita and Bennerman are both extremely young and raw players, with plenty of room to grow in their games.
Having a veteran leader, such as Handlogten, would do wonders for those individuals, especially Keita, who will be shouldering plenty of responsibilities and expectations as the starting center. Right now, Malone is working around the clock to sign at least one more center in hopes of bolstering a frontcourt rotation lacking significant depth.
