Kentucky contacts North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson

North Carolina transfer wing Cade Tyson has heard from the Kentucky Wildcats.

On3’s Jamie Shaw reports that Kentucky is among a dozen-plus schools that have expressed some level of interest in Tyson.

A rising senior with one year of eligibility remaining, the 6-foot-7 wing appeared in 31 games for the Tar Heels this past season but averaged just 2.6 points in 7.9 minutes per outing. Prior to his stint at UNC, Tyson was named Second-Team All-MVC as a sophomore at Belmont when he averaged 16.2 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 46.5 percent from deep — second only in the country to Dayton’s Koby Brea.

Originally from the state of North Carolina, Tyson entered his name into the portal on April 11. He is considered the 178th-best portal prospect this offseason by On3. Shaw adds that the likes of Iowa, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Purdue, BYU, Colorado, Minnesota, and Central Florida, among others, have also reached out.

UNC transfer Cade Tyson has heard from the following schools since entering the Transfer Portal, source tells @On3sports

Kentucky
Iowa
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Oklahoma
Ohio State
Purdue
BYU
Colorado
Minnesota
UCF
… and more.https://t.co/LtUcrM3PA6 https://t.co/F42wkBNwWi pic.twitter.com/4HgSS3jxwg

— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) April 14, 2025

Out of Carmel Christian (NC), Tyson was named 2022 North Carolina Mr. Basketball, finished his career scoring over 2,000 points, and led his team to the NCISAA 4A state championship. He was considered a top 50 high school recruit by On3 before landing at Belmont.

Tyson made an immediate impact with the Bruins, winning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and making the Missouri Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team. He averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per outing as a rookie in 2022-23 while shooting 49 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from deep, and 85.9 percent from the free throw line. He was a starter in 28 of 30 games played.

As a junior the following season, Tyson upped his game even more on his way to making an All-MVC team. He was a full-time starter for a Belmont squad that finished 20-13 (12-8 MVC). He produced nine games with 20 or more points, including a 31-point outing against Samford. Tyson elected to jump into the portal after that — and Kentucky even reached out when John Calipari was still in charge — but he ended up back home at North Carolina in a limited role.

His older brother, Hunter Tyson, spent five years at Clemson before being selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft. Hunter is currently in his second season with the Denver Nuggets.

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