Heel Tough Blog: 2025 Midseason Grades
- Anthony Pagnotta
- Oct 16
- 12 min read
The Tar Heels sit here in the midst of their second bye week of the 2025 season searching for answers. Following last week’s buzz around possibly moving on from head coach Bill Belichick, there is even a question about how long this experiment may last. With it expected to at least last till the end of the season, it is time to turn the attention back to the current season on the field where the team is struggling mightily. Here’s a look at our grades for each unit on this team through the first five games.
Quarterbacks: D+
# 7 Gio Lopez (So.): 173 snaps, 42-67, 430 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT, 33 rush, 69 yds, TD, Fum. lost
#14 Max Johnson (Sr.): 109 snaps, 46-72, 378 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT, 5 rush, 10 yds
#10 Au’Tori Newkirk (Fr.): 2 snaps, 0-1, 0 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
# 2 Bryce Baker (Fr.): DNP
#15 DJ Mazzone (So.): DNP
#18 Andres Miyares Jr. (RFr.): DNP
This has been a big part of the struggles that the Tar Heels have had this season on offense and it is hard to imagine things are going to get significantly better. Lopez was given every opportunity to be the guy in the first four games of the season, but showed he simply does not fit this offense or this level of football. Johnson has been better in his time on the field and should be able to move the offense more consistently if he remains the full-time starter, which is in question. Still, regardless of who the quarterback is, this offense isn’t going to be nearly as explosive as they have been in years past because they don’t have someone at the quarterback position that is going to push the ball downfield.
Running Backs: B+
#35 Demon June Jr. (Fr.): 110 snaps, 38 rush, 266 yds, TD, 9 rec, 34 yds
# 4 Caleb Hood (Sr.): 85 snaps, 16 rush, 44 yds, TD, 6 rec, 29 yds
#28 Benjamin Hall (So.): 60 snaps, 20 rush, 68 yds, TD, 3 rec, 24 yds
#37 Davion Gause (So.): 51 snaps, 17 rush, 44 yds, TD, 6 rec, 28 yds
#27 Jaylen McGill (Fr.): 6 snaps, 1rush, 3 yds, 1 rec, 11 yds,
#23 Charleston French (So.): 4 snaps, 1 rush, 3 yds, 1 rec, 1 yd
#20 Jaylon Nichols (Fr.): DNP
#26 Jo Jo Troupe (Fr.): DNP
#33 Henry Martello (Fr.): DNP
This is the bright spot of what has been a relatively rough start to the season across all of these units. June has been fantastic with his North-South running style and deserves more carries in the second half of the season, especially if he can get better blocking from his offensive line. Hood, unfortunately, medically retired over the bye week, meaning that it will be Hall and Gause splitting the backup carries the rest of the season with Hall seeming to hold the slight edge based off the reps we saw in the Clemson game. Both guys need to be better in the second half, but it would really help if the blocking was better in front of them.
Wide Receivers: C-
# 1 Jordan Shipp (So.): 215 snaps, 18 rec, 234 yds, 2 TD, 1 rush, 1 yd
# 9 Javarius Green (RFr.): 137 snaps, 8 rec, 110 yds
# 8 Kobe Paysour (Sr.): 119 snaps, 2 rec, 18 yds
# 3 Chris Culliver (Jr.): 108 snaps, 5 rec, 104 yds, TD
#82 Nathan Leacock (So.): 78 snaps, 2 rec, 18 yds, 1 rush, 6 yds
# 0 Alex Taylor (RFr.): 65 snaps, 2 rec, 12 yds
#85 Shanard Clower (Fr.): 30 snaps, 8 rec, 58 yds
#81 Aziah Johnson (So.): 5 snaps, 1 rec, 6 yds
# 5 Jason Robinson Jr. (RFr.): 2 snaps
# 6 Dayton Sneed (So.): DNP
#17 Adrian Wilson (Fr.): DNP
#83 Kenedy Uzoma (Fr.): DNP
#86 Madrid Tucker (Fr.): DNP
This unit hasn’t been terrible, but they really only have one player they can count on week to week right now. Shipp has made the most of the difficult quarterback situation and should be poised for an even better second half if Johnson is quarterback. Green and Culliver have shown flashes, but simply haven’t been consistent so far this year and will need to find that in the second half of the season. Paysour’s lack of production is shocking considering how much he is playing and it would be nice to see him find some success in the second half or have his role reduced to try to get answers about the rest of this group. Clower and Leacock are the two names to keep an eye on in the second half that could break out with Johnson at quarterback after neither were really a part of the plans at the position entering the season. Across the board, this team has to do a better job of creating separation, especially.
Tight Ends: C
#80 Jordan Owens (Sr.): 132 snaps, 4 rec, 30 yds, 52.5 run block, 60.7 pass block, 2 total QB pressures allowed
#19 Jake Johnson (Jr.): 107 snaps, 10 rec, 80 yds, TD, 69.9 run block, 69.0 pass block, 0 total QB pressures allowed
#81 Connor Cox (So.): 78 snaps, 2 rec, 11 yds, 64.7 run block, 55.1 pass block, 1 total QB pressure allowed
#87 Cort Halsey (So.): 2 snaps, 60.0 run block
#89 Paul Barton (Gr.): 1 snap, 60.0 run block
#38 Yasir Smith (Fr.): DNP
#84 Shamar Easter (So.): DNP
#88 Deems May (Jr.): DNP
This tight end room has been one of the better units on this team and that says a lot considering they’ve been about average so far. Owens has firmly established himself as the guy on run downs that the team uses along with Cox, while Johnson is the group’s receiver. Owens needs to be a little bit better as a run blocker and Johnson will be hoping to be more impactful in the second half of the season, but this is not a unit you should be that concerned about right now.
Offensive Line: D
#55 Jakai Moore (Sr.): 281 snaps, 60.7 overall, 55.5 run block, 64.5 pass block, 0 sacks allowed, 14 total QB pressures allowed
#69 Chad Lindberg (Sr.): 264 snaps, 71.4 overall, 67.9 run block, 73.1 pass block, 0 sacks allowed, 1 total QB pressure allowed
#52 Daniel King (Sr.): 264 snaps, 65.3 overall, 58.6 run block, 83.5 pass block, 1 sack allowed, 3 total QB pressures allowed
#68 Aidan Banfield (So.): 185 snaps, 61.0 overall, 58.3 run block, 67.0 pass block, 1 sack allowed, 5 total QB pressures allowed
#58 Austin Blaske (Sr.): 126 snaps, 56.2 overall, 63.4 run block, 50.2 pass block, 1 sack allowed, 9 total QB pressures allowed
#73 Will O’Steen (Sr.): 123 snaps, 51.3 overall, 53.1 run block, 45.9 pass block, 1 sack allowed, 6 total QB pressures allowed
#71 William Boone (Jr.): 98 snaps, 73.8 overall, 67.2 run block, 81.3 pass block, 0 sacks allowed, 1 total QB pressure allowed
#72 Eidan Buchanan (Fr.): 62 snaps, 41.0 overall, 47.8 run block, 39.9 pass block, 0 sacks allowed, 2 total QB pressures allowed
#53 Christo Kelly (Sr.): 19 snaps, 55.2 overall, 54.0 run block, 76.8 pass block, 0 sacks allowed, 0 total QB pressures allowed
#78 Trevyon Green (Sr.): 16 snaps, 58.0 overall, 66.4 run block, 75.1 pass block, 0 sacks allowed, 0 total QB pressures allowed
#54 Miles McVay (So.): 10 snaps, 60.0 overall, 58.2 run block, 72.3 pass block, 0 sacks allowed, 0 total QB pressures allowed
#57 Bo Burkes (Jr.): 1 snap, 60.0 overall, 60.0 run block
#56 Jani Norwood (RFr.): 1 snap, 60.0 overall, 60.0 run block
#51 Peter Pesansky (RFr.): DNP
#66 Jordan Hall (So.): DNP
#70 Byron Nelson (Fr.): DNP
#77 Trey Blue (Fr.): DNP
It’s hard to be more concerned about a position on offense than you are about the quarterback spot, but this one is very close if not neck and neck right now. As a whole, the unit hasn’t been bad in pass protection, but they have really struggled in run blocking, making it hard for this team to function offensively. In the last two weeks, though, things have gone downhill in pass protection, leading to concerns about what this unit might look like in the second half of the season. Lindberg’s slow snaps were an issue early in the season, but have seemed to dissipate as the season has gone along, making him the least of your worries. Instead, Blaske and Moore have become the big worries with how bad they have been in pass protection in the last two games and left guard remains a spot that needs more consistent play in the second half of the season. Let’s hope this bye week was a chance to really work on something for this group and that they are able to provide some resistance up front.
Defensive Line: C-
# 9 Melkart Abou-Jaoude (Jr.): 235 snaps, 14 ttkl, 2.0 TFL, 2.0 scks, 15 total QB pressures, FR, 1 tar, 1 rec allowed, 4 yds allowed
# 8 Smith Vilbert (Sr.): 192 snaps, 8 ttkl, 2.5 TFL, 0.0 scks, 6 total QB pressures
# 6 D’Antre Robinson (So.): 159 snaps, 15 ttkl, 2.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 7 total QB pressures
#92 CJ Mims (Jr.): 150 snaps, 16 ttkl, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sck, 7 total QB pressures, FF
#91 Leroy Jackson (RFr.): 144 snaps, 16 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures
#94 Isaiah Johnson (Jr.): 123 snaps, 15 ttkl, 0.5 TFL, 0.0 scks, 1 total QB pressure
#40 Tyler Thompson (So.): 101 snaps, 4 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 6 total QB pressures
#25 Joseph Mupoyi (RFr.): 85 snaps, 3 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 3 total QB pressures
#90 Xavier Lewis (Fr.): 73 snaps, 4 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 7 total QB pressures
#10 Pryce Yates (Sr.): 30 snaps, 3 ttkl, 0.5 TFL, 0.0 scks, 1 total QB pressure
#96 Nicco Maggio (Fr.): 25 snaps, 2 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures
#93 Devin Ancrum (Fr.): 22 snaps, 0 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 1 total QB pressure
#95 Daniel Anderson (RFr.): 21 snaps, 1 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 3 total QB pressures
#47 Austin Alexander (Fr.): 11 snaps, 2 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures
#87 Trey Giddens (Fr.): 8 snaps, 2 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures
#28 Chinedu Onyeagoro (Fr.): DNP
#84 Laderion Williams (Fr.): DNP
#86 Kamarion Thomas (Fr.): DNP
#89 Emmanuel Nwaiwu (Fr.): DNP
This defensive line unit has been a tale of two units so far this season. Against the run, the unit has actually been fairly successful, led by the guys on the interior, but the unit simply hasn’t been able to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Guys like Robinson, Mims, Jackson and Johnson deserve credit for bouncing back in the run game after the season opener, but they need to be able to help in pass rush with the issues the edge rushers are having. On the edge, the team is hoping that Pryce Yates’ return will be felt more starting this week against California following a quieter game in most respects against Clemson. If not, this unit will probably continue to struggle to create those havoc plays and get pressure on the quarterback the way they need to.
Linebackers: C+
# 7 Khmori House (So.): 312 snaps, 32 ttkl, 1.5 TFL, 0.0 scks, 8 total QB pressures, 15 tar, 14 rec allowed, 108 yds allowed, 2 TD allowed
# 2 Andrew Simpson (Sr.): 266 snaps, 30 ttkl, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 scks, 6 total QB pressures, 9 tar, 7 rec allowed, 64 yds allowed
# 4 Mikai Gbayor (Sr.): 128 snaps, 18 ttkl, 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sck, 1 total QB pressure, FF, FR, 5 tar, 4 rec allowed, 20 yds allowed
#41 Jonathan Agumadu (RFr.): 49 snaps, 9 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 4 tar, 4 rec allowed, 49 yds allowed
#54 Timir Hickman-Collins (RFr.): 17 snaps, 1 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures
#44 Jake Bauer (Fr.): 15 snaps, 0 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total pressures
#30 Evan Bennett (RFr.): DNP
#33 Tyler Houser (Fr.): DNP
#43 Lantz Pascal (Fr.): DNP
The linebackers have been the second best unit on this entire team in the first half of the season. Like the interior of the defensive line, they have done a really good job of bouncing back from the first game of the season where the team was torched on the ground and have held their own in coverage. Both House and Simpson have had their moments where they have flashed just how special they are, but even they could stand to be a little more consistent in the second half of the season. Gbayor showed some nice signs of his own in the first few games of the season, but has seen his role reduced in the last two games. He still provides some nice depth at the position, though. Agumadu has been good as a tackler, but the hope is that we don’t have to see him play important reps just yet because of how poor he’s been in coverage.
Defensive Backs: D
# 1 Thaddeus Dixon (Sr.): 275 snaps, 14 ttkl, 2.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 1 total QB pressure, 16 tar, 9 rec allowed, 151 yds allowed, 1 TD allowed, 3 PBU
# 5 Gavin Gibson (Sr.): 264 snaps, 19 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 13 tar, 9 rec allowed, 56 yds allowed, 2 TD allowed, PBU
#29 Marcus Allen (Sr.): 251 snaps, 15 ttkl, 1.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 24 tar, 18 rec allowed, 247 yds allowed, 1 TD allowed, 2 PBU
#31 Will Hardy (Sr.): 208 snaps, 15 ttkl, 1.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 8 tar, 6 rec allowed, 82 yds allowed, 1 TD allowed
#21 Kaleb Cost (Jr.): 187 snaps, 24 ttkl, 1.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 18 tar, 13 rec allowed, 131 yds allowed, 1 TD allowed, INT, PBU
#18 Jaiden Patterson (So.): 126 snaps, 13 ttkl, 1.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 11 tar, 7 rec allowed, 65 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed, INT, 3 PBU
#16 Coleman Bryson (Jr.): 91 snaps, 7 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 7 tar, 5 rec allowed, 32 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed, PBU
#20 Jalon Thompson (So.): 51 snaps, 4 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 3 tar, 1 rec allowed, 25 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed, PBU
#12 Greg Smith (RFr.): 51 snaps, 8 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 4 tar, 3 rec allowed, 34 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed, INT
#15 Tre Miller (So.): 41 snaps, 6 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 6 tar, 6 rec, 50 yds, 0 TD allowed
#26 Khalil Conley (RFr.): 41 snaps, 1 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 5 tar, 4 rec allowed, 55 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed
# 0 Ty White (So.): 36 snaps, 3 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 5 tar, 4 rec allowed, 47 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed
#17 Peyton Waters (So.): 30 snaps, 3 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 0 tar, 0 rec allowed, 0 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed
#11 Ty Adams (So.): 25 snaps, 0 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 2 tar, 1 rec allowed, 4 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed
#23 Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins (RFr.): 25 snaps, 0 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 0 tar, 0 rec allowed, 0 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed
#19 Reggie Love II (So.): 15 snaps, 0 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 2 tar, 0 rec allowed, 0 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed
# 3 Malcolm Ziglar (So.): 9 snaps, 0 ttkl, 0.0 TFL, 0.0 scks, 0 total QB pressures, 1 tar, 0 rec allowed, 0 yds allowed, 0 TD allowed, INT
#24 Javion Butts (Fr.): DNP
#27 Graham Reintjes (Fr.): DNP
#32 Jermaine Anderson (Fr.): DNP
This secondary has been pretty bad to start the season and the outlook for the second half isn’t that positive. Dixon, who had struggled the last two weeks, was the best player in this secondary and with him out indefinitely, it puts a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Patterson, who was solid yet unspectacular in the game against Clemson. Gibson has had some flashes, but like the rest of this defense, struggles with consistency. Allen has recovered from getting picked apart in the season opener, but is always a threat to give up a big play over the top or get carved up in zone defense because of his tackling issues. Hardy hasn’t been what he was expected to be by this staff back in the summer and needs to have a better second half, starting with his tackling. Cost has had moments where he’s been picked on as well, but with Dixon sidelined for the foreseeable future, the team will need him to simply be better in the slot. Others in the room have flashed this season, but until there is more consistency to the flashes, this group will continue to rely on the core from the first half of the season to simply step their game up.
Special Teams: C
#31 Will Hardy (Sr.): 83 snaps, 2 punt returns, 14.0 avg
#42 Spencer Triplett (Sr.): 41 snaps
#90 Rece Verhoff (Sr.): 39 snaps, 10-10 XP, 6-7 FG, Long of 49
#96 Tom Maginness (Sr.): 35 snaps, 23 punts, 40.4 avg, 39.1 net avg
#37 Davion Gause (So.): 28 snaps, 1 kick return, 8.0 avg
#28 Benjamin Hall (So.): 28 snaps, 0 kick returns, 0.0 avg
#85 Shanard Clower (Fr.): 10 snaps, 4 kick returns, 20.5 avg
#27 Jaylen McGill (Fr.): 9 snaps, 2 kick returns, 21.5 avg
# 3 Chris Culliver (Jr.): 7 snaps, 5 KR, 20.4 avg
# 9 Javarius Green (RFr.): 4 snaps, 2 punt returns, 3.5 avg
This is another unit that is far from the biggest worry on the team, but is far from a dominant unit. Verhoff has been solid so far this year, but he hasn’t had his range test much so far. Maginness has been better than he was in his first two seasons on his career in Chapel Hill in terms of net average, but he is far from receiving all-conference honors or anything of that nature. The return games, meanwhile, have been rather uninspiring, especially now that Culliver is no longer returning kicks. Hopefully this unit can find some more explosion as the season goes along.
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