Heel Tough Blog: 2026 Breakout Players
- Anthony Pagnotta
- 7 minutes ago
- 5 min read
We are officially less than one week away from the Tar Heels opening the season in Ireland against TCU and it is time to do a couple of our favorite preseason prediction articles. We’ll start by giving you our five breakout players for this upcoming season.
Anthony
Jelani Thurman
There might not be a player on the roster that has received more positive buzz about them than Thurman this offseason and with that, expectations are growing. While Thurman has caught just 13 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, there is confidence that he can better those numbers this season and be one of the more reliable options in the passing game after what he has done in both spring and fall camps. With how well he has caught the ball so far for this team and Billy Edwards Jr. likely relying on him in the short passing game, he has a chance to put up one of the more productive tight ends in the ACC this season.
Benjamin Hall
Another guy who has been receiving a lot of positive buzz has been Hall, who has ascended to the top of the depth chart at the running back position. In his second year with the program and offense that should be able to run the ball more consistently, the expectation is that he will put up a career year. If he can build off of what he showed in training camp over the past few weeks and show a little more burst to go along with the physicality, he’ll have a chance to lead this team in rushing with some healthy production that they simply lacked last year.
Aidan Banfield
The Tar Heels are in need of some stars along the offensive line this year and Banfield looks like the best candidate to be that guy. After a really solid start to his career as a true freshman in 2024, he missed most of last season with a significant lower-leg injury. This year, he’ll look to be the anchor of the line of the right guard spot, where he has been playing since back in the fall. He’ll have to improve on some of his numbers from a year ago, where he registered a 62.4 run block grade, a 70.5 pass block grade and a 64.8 overall and struggled against the two power conference opponents the team played. If he can get back to some of the promise that he showed back in his freshman season and prove to be a little more consistent, he has the chance to be one of the better guards in the ACC this upcoming season.
Trech Kekahuna
Last year was a revolving door for the Tar Heels at slot receiver that didn’t result in much production, but that doesn’t look like it will be the case this year. Similar to Thurman, Kekahuna hasn’t been nearly as productive as he probably wanted to be to this point in his career, but he is receiving some high praise so far in fall camp. His ability after the catch is something that could be relied on heavily throughout the season, especially early on with Edwards at quarterback, and could set him up for a big season in the slot.
Peyton Waters
Waters is one of the members of the secondary that has become a starter in the last couple of weeks because of how well he has performed during training camp. Waters showed some nice flashes in the limited reps that he saw in the first half of last season and all indications are that he has made significant strides this offseason. With this being his third year in this system, it feels like this might be the perfect time for him to break out and put together a strong season at one of the two safety spots alongside Greg Smith.
Josh
Benjamin Hall
It’s safe to say that Benjamin Hall didn’t have the 2025 season most expected him to have after transferring into the program, after starting his career at Michigan. A full off-season in Bill Belichick’s weight and conditioning program has changed Hall’s body, and he appears to be a more explosive, physical runner, something this offense needs, while breaking in a new QB. As we get closer to the start of the season, Hall is set to be RB1 for the Tar Heels, with a heavy dose of Demon June expected after a strong rookie season. With Bobby Petrino’s desire to run the football, Hall might not get enough touches to break the 1,000-yard mark, but he’s more than capable of leading the Tar Heels in rushing yards and touchdowns, and after a less-than-impressive first season in Chapel Hill, that’ll do more than enough to qualify him as a breakout player for the 2026 season.
Tight End Room
In all of my years writing this blog and co-hosting the podcast, there hasn’t been a position, maybe outside of the offensive line, that I’ve been more critical of than the tight end room. Under Mack Brown, it felt like Carolina failed to maximize the talent to the fullest, and after a disappointing 2025 season under Bill Belichick, Carolina has revamped that room from top to bottom, with three impactful transfers and a freshman that’s the face of the room in the years to come. Between Jelani Thurman (Ohio State), Jaxxon Warren (Colorado State), and Jordan Washington (Texas), Bobby Petrino is poised to maximize all of their talents all receivers, and blockers.
Christo Kelly
Injury cut the Holy Cross transfer’s season short back in 2025, but Christ Kelly is back for 2026, and is set to anchor the interior of the offensive line, the strongest area of Carolina’s OL. There are still questions and concerns about Kelly’s ability to play at the Power Conference level, but assuming he makes the transition, he’s poised to be a leader the Tar Heels, on and off the field. You could argue that no transfer has bought more into the Bill Belichick way than Kelly, who backed his head coach multiple times during ACC Kick-Off back in July, and is motivated to help Belichick establish a winning culture in Chapel Hill.
Jaylen Harvey
After Melkart Abou-Jaoude’s big season in 2025, he’s going to face multiple double teams on a game in, game out basis, adding pressure for the Tar Heels to find a second pass rusher opposite Abou-Jaoude. That leads us Jaylen Harvey, the Penn State transfer, who fits the mold, as a former Big 10 recruit, who stands at 6-2, weighing over 260 pounds.Last year, Harvey played in 11 games for the Nittany Lions, totaling just 8 total tackles, and 1.5 tackles for loss. If he can help Melkart not only set the edge in the run game, but apply consistent pressure, a big season could be in store for Harvey. Ultimately I went with Harvey, over Donovan Hoilette Jr, despite considerable less production, in large part because of his talent being able to translate easier after starting at Penn State. If Harvey has that type of season, UNC could field one of the more underrated defenses in all of college football in 2026.
Greg Smith
Smith, who arrived at North Carolina after starting his career at Florida back in 2025, playing in 11 games, totaling 25 total tackles, along with an interception. He enters 2026 along with Jaiden Patterson and Kaleb Cost, as a leader of the back end of the defense, and poised to make a name for himself in the ACC. An issue in recent years for Carolina’s safeties, has been a combination of poor communication, while also lacking the physical traits to be a difference maker. At 6-4, and 215 pounds, Smith is a physical specimen, destined to be an in the box safety, helping Carolina be better at stopping the run, after issues down the stretch last season. Expect Smith to more than double his tackle production from a year ago, while being a vocal leader for the Tar Heels defensively.
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