Heel Tough Blog: 2026 Position Previews- ST

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With official visits done for the summer, it is time to turn our attention back to the 2026 team. We’ll do so by giving you our in-depth position previews for this season where we do a deep dive on each position room as we wait for fall camp to start. We close out our look at the 2026 roster by dissecting a room that is a complete unknown heading into the season, the special teams unit.

Kicker is a two-man battle at the start of fall camp. Right now, it appears that the two options here are pretty neck and neck early in fall camp. LSU transfer Aeron Burrell should be handling kickoffs after doing so the last two seasons in Baton Rouge. Burrell was named a second team All-SEC member in 2024 after averaging 64.8 yards per kickoff and registering 89.2 touchback percentage, which ranked third nationally. Last year, he wasn’t nearly as efficient, averaging 63.8 yards per kickoff and registering just a 68.2 touchback percentage. The Tar Heels are hoping he can return to that freshman form while he also competes to win the role as the team’s starting placekicker, as well.

To win that kicker gig, though, he’ll have to hold off true freshman David Green, who had some buzz around him entering training camp. The former Under Armour All-American and two-time All-State kicker finished his high school career 196-198 on PATs and registered 195 touchbacks on 278 kickoff attempts. He finished 18-30 on field goals in his career, including 3-7 of a senior, so he’ll have to prove he is going to be more reliable at the college level to earn the starting job.

At the punter spot, there is a battle going on, as well, but it appears that the more experienced option has the edge right now. Junior Jacob Horvath was the backup to Tom Maginness last year after spending two years as the starting punter at Eastern Illinois. He averaged 44.3 yards per punt as a sophomore in 2024 as he earned second team All-Big South honors. If he can replicate those types of numbers or even improve on them, he should be the team’s punter this season.

Battling him for the role is true freshman Adam McCann-Gibbs. Prior to arriving in Chapel Hill, McCann-Gibbs played both Gaelic football and soccer, the latter at a senior-level since the age of 14. He also attended a Kohl’s Kicking Camp back in March 2025 and received some pretty solid reviews. “He scored 106.3 points in punting, 114.15 points on kickoffs, and 11/15 points at a windy Spring Ranking Event in March of 2025,” the site wrote back in the offseason. “McCann-Gibbs demonstrates D1 talent and has a lot of upside as a kicker who can also punt.” He will have to impress in fall camp to beat out Horvath, but he could be the future of the position for the Tar Heels even if he doesn’t win the job this year.

The long snapper job looks like it will go to junior Gannon Burt. Burt only has two games of experience at the college level, but he was serviceable in both the games that he played, including against Tennessee in high-leverage situations.

Behind him on the depth chart will be true freshman Roman Wazni, who will be prepared if Burt can’t go for some reason.

The team is in the process of replacing both returners and there isn’t a lot of intel coming out about the directions that the team is going to find the replacements. At kick returner, Jaylen McGill handled the role at times last year, but he’ll have to be more productive in that role if he is going to hold on to it.

At punt returner, Kaleb Cost fielded some punts back in spring last year and could be the type of veteran that the team trusts to handle the role this year.

Projected Depth Chart:

PK

#92 Aeron Burrell, Jr.

#97 David Green, Fr.

P

#93 Jacob Horvath, Jr.

#91 Adam McCann-Gibbs, Fr.

LS

#48 Gannon Burt, Jr.

#40 Roman Wazni, Fr.

H

#93 Jacob Horvath, Jr.

#91 Adam McCann-Gibbs, Fr.

KR

#27 Jaylen McGill, So.

# 7 Benjamin Hall, Jr.

PR

# 2 Kaleb Cost, Sr.

#14 C.J. Sadler, Fr.