Heel Tough Blog: 2026 Position Previews- TE

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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 continue our look at the offensive side of the ball with the position room that might just be the best on this side of the ball this season, the tight ends.

No room has received more praise this offseason and there will be plenty of flexibility for this unit that didn’t have much a year ago. Ohio State transfer Jelani Thurman is the guy that is in line to be a starter for the team when they make the trip to Dublin in late August following a strong spring. In his three seasons with the Buckeyes, Thurman caught just 13 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, but he received some nice reviews for what he did as a pass catcher back in April. Combine that with his ability to block and you have a pretty complete tight end that could have a breakout season this year.

Behind him, Texas transfer Jordan Washington is who the staff is supposedly viewing as the blocking specialist on the team. If that is the case, he will have to grade out much better than he did a year ago, where his run blocking grade was a 57.9 and his overall blocking grade was a 47.6. With the positive buzz around him from the spring, you have to wonder if this staff was able to unlock something that Texas couldn’t despite him having the size.

Colorado State transfer Jaxxon Warren is the biggest mystery in the room. Injuries have limited him to just two games in his first two seasons at the college level, but his performance against Washington where he had six receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown showed plenty of potential. The Tar Heels will be hoping to keep him healthy so they can figure out just how high his ceiling can be in this offense.

While the three transfers look to be in the best position to play significant snaps this season, there are some other players in this room that will be pushing hard for roles in this offense, as well. Junior Shamar Easter is back after playing 53 snaps a year ago and will look to prove himself as a threat as a pass catcher. He’ll have his work cut out for him to even play a similar role to the one that he held last year, but this could be one guy poised to make a jump under new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.

True freshman Carson Sneed is in a similar spot heading into fall camp. The talent is there for Sneed, but the playing time might not be there this season with all of the guys that are projected to be in front of him on the depth chart. Fall camp will be a great opportunity for him to shine, though, and if he can, he’ll at least give the staff something to think about when they’re piecing together the depth chart.

The team will also have two other players in this room this season. Senior Deems May III is part of the roster once again, while summer enrollee Dream Rashad will step on the field for the first time in fall camp after signing back in December.

Projected Depth Chart:

TE

#45 Jelani Thurman, Jr.

#80 Jordan Washington, So.

#19 Jaxxon Warren, So.

#84 Shamar Easter, Jr.

#87 Carson Sneed, Fr.

#88 Deems May III, Sr.

#85 Dream Rashad, Fr.