Cavaliers Now

Virginia Basketball Adds Vanderbilt Transfer Forward Carter Lang

Matt Newton

Carter Lang posts up during the Vanderbilt men's basketball game against Mississippi State.
Carter Lang posts up during the Vanderbilt men's basketball game against Mississippi State. / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia's red-hot recruiting spree in the transfer portal continues. Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers secured their fourth transfer commitment in as many days as Vanderbilt transfer forward and Charlottesville native Carter Lang announced his commitment to Virginia on Tuesday. It seems that Lang will join UVA as a walk-on, though that has not been confirmed yet.

If Lang is indeed coming to Virginia as a walk-on, then that's quite a steal for Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers, as he is no normal walk-on. A former four-star recruit per ESPN (three-star on 247Sports) coming out of St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Lang was once rated the No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Virginia and was nominated for the 2023 McDonald's All-American Game. The 6'9", 235-pound forward averaged 18.3 points, 14.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in his senior season at STAB.

Lang held offers from more than a dozen programs and ultimately committed to Jerry Stackhouse and Vanderbilt over Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Stanford, Ole Miss, Illinois, SMU, and others. He appeared in 24 games and made seven starts as a true freshman this season, but played just 11.6 minutes per game and averaged 1.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, Lang entered the transfer portal and ultimately decided to return to his hometown of Charlottesville and join the Virginia men's basketball program with three years of eligibility remaining.

After not hitting on any of their transfer targets through the first six weeks of the portal window, the Cavaliers bounced back in a big way and picked up four transfer commitments in the last four days. Florida State guard Jalen Warley committed to UVA on Saturday morning, then Virginia landed back-to-back commitments in a two-hour span from Duke forward TJ Power and San Diego State forward Elijah Saunders on Monday night. And with Carter Lang reportedly joining as a walk-on, Tony Bennett still has one more scholarship spot he can use for the 2024-2025 season.

Virginia hosted Kansas State transfer guard Dai Dai Ames for an official visit on Monday. Since the Cavaliers could still use some depth at point guard, Ames could be a strong candidate to fill that last scholarship spot. If UVA doesn't end up adding Ames or any other player to its roster for next season, then that scholarship could very well go to Carter Lang, following in a long line of Charlottesville native walk-ons who earned scholarships in Tony Bennett's program.

More Virginia Men's Basketball News and Content

Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal Contact Live Tracker
San Diego State Transfer Elijah Saunders Commits to Virginia Basketball
Duke Forward TJ Power Transfers to Virginia Basketball
Report: Virginia Hosting Kansas State Guard Transfer Dai Dai Ames
Virginia Hosting San Diego State Transfer Forward Elijah Saunders
Former Virginia Wing Leon Bond III Transfers to Northern Iowa
Virginia Basketball Lands First Transfer Commitment From FSU Guard Jalen Warley
Virginia to Host Four-Star Point Guard Trent Perry for Official Visit

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.