Heel Tough Blog: 2025 Position Previews- TE

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It’s that time of year again, folks. With the season fast approaching, it is time to give you a preview of what this roster is going to look like this upcoming season under new coach Bill Belichick. Today, we take a look at the tight end room, a position group that is undergoing a total overhaul this offseason after years of consistency under Mack Brown.

Junior Jake Johnson, the lone scholarship holdover from last year’s team, is the favorite to win the starting job this season. While he may have shined as a receiver in his time at Texas A&M, he was way more successful as a blocker this past season for the Tar Heels. The team is hopeful that this is the season where he puts it all together and can rediscover that success that he had as a receiver in 2023 where he caught 24 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns.

Behind Johnson there are a bunch of inexperienced options that will be battling it out to have a significant role for the team this season. South Carolina transfer Connor Cox is the guy with the best chance to earn reps this season because of his time with the team in the spring. The staff will need him to prove that he can be more involved in the passing game than he was at South Carolina, but there is a lot of upside here that could show itself this season.

Another transfer to keep an eye on is Arkansas transfer Shamar Easter. He saw action in just one game over the course of the two years in Fayetteville, playing five total snaps between offense and special teams Back in high school, Easter showed his receiving prowess. As a senior, he only caught 15 passes for 160 yards, but he also ran for 116 yards and a touchdown on six carries. The year prior, as a junior, he was much more successful, catching 30 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns. This might be his chance to break out in a tight end room that needs a receiving threat like he proved he could be at the high school level.

The wild card of the group is Oklahoma State transfer Jordan Owens. Owens, who transferred to Oklahoma State back in December before entering the portal again in the spring, spent the last three years of his career at Central Arkansas, where he saw action in 32 games and caught 29 passes for 248 yards and seven touchdowns. This past season, as a junior, he caught 19 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns, the first two of which were career highs.

One of the more interesting names in this room is senior Paul Barton, the son of Tar Heel program legend Harris Barton. He will spend his graduate season with the football program after spending his pre-graduate career with the lacrosse program where he was an Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-America in 2023 and USILA Scholar All-America in 2025. In his final season as a lacrosse player, he finished with 25 ground balls, 11 turnovers forced and one goal as a key member of the defense for Joe Breschi’s squad. He played football in high school as a freshman and senior, starring in a COVID-shortened senior season where he caught 25 catches for 336 yards and four touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can progress in this system and if he will be able to have an effect this season.

Also significant in the room is true freshman Yasir Smith’s conversion from defensive end to tight end. He played the position sparingly at the college level, but at 6’5, 265 lbs., he could be a valuable asset for this team at some point.

The other two tight ends on the roster this season will be former walk-ons Deems May III and Cort Halsey who will help to provide depth this season even if they don’t see much playing time outside of garbage time reps.

Projected Depth Chart:

#19 Jake Johnson, Jr.

#18 Connor Cox, So.

#84 Shamar Easter, RFr.

#80 Jordan Owens, Sr.

#87 Cort Halsey, So.

#88 Deems May III, Jr.

#89 Paul Barton, Gr.

#82 Yasir Smith, Fr.