Heel Tough Blog: 5 Tar Heels Earn ACC Honors After 2025 Season

Sports Illustrated

Despite going just 4-8 this season, and 2-6 in league games, there were some Tar Heel football players to be recognized by the conference’s media members, as the 2025 All-ACC teams were announced earlier today. 

The first player to earn honors on either the first or the second team was defensive lineman, Melkart Abou Joude, who recorded 10.5 sacks and 47 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, while starting all 12 games after transferring in from Delaware last off-season. His 10.5 sacks are the 6th most by a Tar Heel in a single season, as he had two 3-sack performances, coming against Virginia and Stanford. 

Additionally, four other Tar Heels earned honorable mention for their play this season, starting with the Washington transfer, Khmouri House, who led Carolina with 81 tackles in his first season in Chapel Hill. His best game individually came against Stanford, where he totaled a career-high 13 tackles and an interception in the win over the Cardinal. 

His linebacker companion, Andrew Simpson, also earned honorable mention after transferring in from Boise State. Simpson was second on the team in tackles (62), while also adding 5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss, helping give UNC one of the better linebacker duos in the ACC this season. 

Even as bad as Carolina was on offense this year under Freddie Kitchens, Jordan Shipp still managed to earn honorable mention honors after leading UNC with 60 catches, for 671 yards, and six touchdowns, while being Gio Lopez’s top passing target. Shipp really came on strong to finish the 2025 season, scoring in four of the final five games, highlighted by a 55-yard score against Stanford, to effectively end that game. 

Lastly, kicker Rece Verhoff received honorable mentions honors, after going 19-23 on field goals, and 20-20 on his extra points. In the loss at Wake Forest, Verhoff set the UNC record for longest field goal in program history, as he nailed a 57-yard field goal right before halftime. 

Make sure to stay locked in to the Heel Tough Blog for full coverage of National Signing Day tomorrow.