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Heel Tough Blog: Freshman DL Enters Portal
@kamarionthomas__- Instagram It may have flown under the radar a bit, but the Tar Heels have lost another player to the transfer portal along the defensive line. As first reported by Chris Hummer of 247Sports, true freshman defensive tackle Kamarion Thomas will enter the transfer portal when it opens on January 2nd. He will have four years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands. Thomas, the former 3✮ recruit in the 2025 recruiting class, transfers after spending just one

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 27, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Ranking Transfer Portal Needs
Jaylynn Nash- Getty Images While the transfer portal may not officially open up until January 2nd, teams should already be forming their list of needs for when they can start legally negotiating with players on that date. With the Tar Heels season already in the book and 19 players having already entered the portal, it's been pretty easy to start piecing together the team’s list of needs for this portal cycle. Here is a look at our rankings of the most important positions for

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 26, 20255 min read


Heel Tough Blog: UNC Freshman EDGE Enters the Portal
ESPN As the opening of the transfer portal grows closer and closer, the portal entries have begun to pick up again. The most recent transfer comes from one of the young edge rushers who spent just one season on the Tar Heels roster before leaving the program. As first reported by 247Sports, true freshman edge rusher Chinedu Onyeagoro is planning to enter the transfer portal when it opens on January 2nd. He will have four years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands. Onyea

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 23, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Gio Lopez Expected to Return to UNC in 2026
Lance King- Getty Images Tar Heel fans are hoping for a new starting quarterback in 2026 after a rough season with Gio Lopez at the helm, but as Pete Nakos of On3 Sports is reporting, he isn’t going to be giving that job up without a fight. According to Nakos, Lopez, who signed a two-year deal last offseason with the Tar Heels, is expected to return to Chapel Hill for the 2026 season. The redshirt sophomore still has two years of eligibility remaining at the college level. Lo

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 22, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Bryce Baker Becomes 2nd Tar Heel QB to Enter the Transfer Portal
CBS Sports It’s been a busy day for the UNC football program, starting with the expected hire of Bobby Petrino as the new offensive coordinator, after Freddie Kitchens was hired after one season on the job. But that’s not the only big news on the offensive side of the football, as shortly after that news broke, freshman QB Bryce Baker announced his decision to enter the transfer portal, after one season in Chapel Hill. Baker was the prize recruit of Belichick’s initial recrui

Joshua Marlow
Dec 22, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Closing In on Big Splash with OC Hire
Alex Slitz- Getty Images After a dismal year on offense for the Tar Heels under Bill Belichick, the team needed to make a strong hire at offensive coordinator and on Monday morning, they did just that. As first reported by Chris Low, Pete Nakos and Inside Carolina, Bobby Petrino has agreed to become the Tar Heels next offensive coordinator. This move follows the team’s firing of offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens after one season back on December 12th. According to a repo

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 22, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Lose Another WR to Transfer Portal
@ The Tar Heels have lost some significant depth at the wide receiver position from this year’s roster and that continued on Sunday evening. As first reported by Inside Carolina, Tar Heels redshirt freshman wide receiver Alex Taylor is planning to enter his name into the transfer portal on January 2nd. He will have three years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands. In his two seasons in Chapel Hill, Taylor played in 11 games, starting the final game of the season against

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 21, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Who Should the Tar Heels Target at QB in the Portal?
One of the main things that the Tar Heels need this offseason to improve next season is an upgrade at the starting quarterback position. While that improvement might come from either of the freshmen who were on the roster this year, the answer most likely lies in the transfer portal. After a big day of portal entries on Monday, here is a look at some of the names that the team should be considering in the search for their quarterback. Tier 1 Sam Leavitt Christian Petersen- Ge

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 19, 20256 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Lose True Freshman DT to Portal
@DevinAncrum- Twitter The defensive line is a position where the Tar Heels were expecting to retain a lot of guys, but they have lost a couple of members to the transfer portal in the last few days. As first reported by Chris Hummer of 247Sports, true freshman defensive lineman Devin Ancrum is entering the transfer portal after just one season with the program. He will have four years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands. In his lone season in Chapel Hill, Ancrum played

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 19, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Showing Interest in P4 CB Transfer
On3 Sports There hasn’t been a lot of buzz about transfer portal targets thus far, but one name did pop onto the radar earlier this week at defensive back. As first reported by Pete Nakos of On3/Rivals, the Tar Heels are amongst those showing early interest in Iowa State cornerback Quentin Taylor per his agency. Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Minnesota and Mississippi State are amongst those also expressing interest in him early on. Taylor, who has three years of eligi

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 18, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heel CB Accepts Invite to Senior Bowl
@b0ssmanboomin- Instagram Believe it or not, with football season nearing its end, it is time for the various showcase games to start handing out their invitations for their events. On Thursday, it was announced that a member of the Tar Heels will be heading to Mobile, AL in late January for the Panini Senior Bowl. As revealed by the official Senior Bowl account, Tar Heel cornerback Thaddeus Dixon has been extended and accepted an invite to play in the event that will take pl

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 18, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Lose Promising EDGE to Portal
Gregory Fisher- Getty Images We’ve seen a few significant transfer portal entries for the Tar Heels, but none as big as the one that was announced on Wednesday. As first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals, Tar Heel sophomore edge rusher Tyler Thompson will be entering the transfer portal when it opens on January 2nd. He will have two years of eligibility remaining wherever he ends up. Thompson, a former 4✮ prospect, played in 27 games over the course of his three seasons

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 17, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Add In-State Commitment in 2027 Class
@quisbryant- Instagram With the 39 commits in the 2026 class all signed, the Tar Heels have turned their attention to the 2027 class. On Tuesday, the team made a nice in-state addition to the class in the form of 4✮ S Marquis Bryant. As first reported by Inside Carolina, Bryant committed to the Tar Heels following two visits to Chapel Hill in the fall. Bryant, the No. 169 overall and No. 17 safety in the class according to Rivals Composite Rankings, just concluded his junior

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 16, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Set to Lose DB to Portal
Matt Krohn- USA Today Sports After a quiet week of portal entries last week, the Tar Heels are starting to see more defections roll in. The most recent comes from a member of the defensive back who played a key role on special teams the past couple of seasons. As first reported by Inside Carolina, Tar Heel defensive back Malcolm Ziglar is entering the transfer portal when it opens on January 2nd after two seasons in Chapel Hill. He will have two years of eligibility remaining

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 15, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Lose True Freshman WR to the Portal
@kenedyuzoma_- Instagram After a quiet week of portal entries, the Tar Heels lost their 17th transfer to the portal on Saturday night in the form of another young wide receiver. As he announced via social media, true freshman wide receiver Kenedy Uzoma is entering the transfer portal after spending just one season with the program. He will have four years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands after taking a redshirt year this year. In his lone season in Chapel Hill, the

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 13, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Who Should Tar Heels Target at OC?
On Friday, the Tar Heels moved on from offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens following one of the most disappointing offensive seasons in recent memory for the Tar Heels. They must now find a replacement that can vastly improve this side of the football to be able to meet the expectations that will be on the table for the team in Year 2 under Bill Belichick. Here’s a look at some candidates that the Tar Heels should consider for the vacancy. Chip Kelly Tom Hauck- Getty Image

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 13, 20253 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Part Ways With Two Coordinators
Sports Illustrated It took a while, but on Friday, the Tar Heels finally made some changes to their coaching staff following a disappointing first season of the Bill Belichick era. As first reported by Inside Carolina, the Tar Heels have parted ways with offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. Kitchens departs after one season as the team’s offensive coordinator, a spot he was elevated to by Belichick after spending two seasons as a

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 12, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Lose Starting TE to the Portal
Gregory Fisher- Getty Images After a quiet weekend on the transfer front, the Tar Heels have lost a contributor at the tight end position to the portal. As first reported by Pete Nakos on On3/Rivals, Tar Heels tight end Jake Johnson is following in his brother’s football footsteps and entering the transfer portal when it opens on January 2nd. He will have one year of eligibility remaining wherever he lands. Johnson spent two years with the Tar Heels, playing in all 25 games,

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 8, 20251 min read


Heel Tough Blog: 2026 Early Signing Class Breakdown
In the three day early signing window, the Tar Heels signed 39 members of 2026 class, the second most of anyone in college football behind only West Virginia. With all 39 commits that the team has having signed with the program, here is our breakdown of the class. Class Rankings 247Sports- Overall: No. 17 | ACC: No. 3 On3/Rivals- Overall: No. 17 | ACC: No. 3 ESPN- Overall: No. 12 | ACC: No. 2 4 ✮ S Jakob Weatherspoon- Avon (Avon, OH) 247Sports: No. 147 overall, No. 13 S On3/R

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 6, 202531 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Set to Lose RB to the Portal
Gregory Fisher- Getty Images Friday has been a big day of portal entries and the most significant one of the day came in the running room. As first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3/Rivals, Tar Heel running back Davion Gause will enter his name into the transfer portal when it opens on January 2nd. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. In his two seasons with the program, Gause played in 24 games, including the lone start of his career in last year’s Fenway Bowl aga

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 5, 20251 min read
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