Heel Tough Blog: Battles to Monitor in 2026 Spring Practice

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Spring practice in Chapel Hill kicks off on Tuesday afternoon as the Tar Heels look to take a major step forward under Bill Belichick and prove that this experiment is still worth seeing through. The beginning of spring ball also means the beginning of some important position battles that we will be monitoring throughout the offseason. Here is a look at the five battles that we will be monitoring over the next month of spring practice.

Starting QB

For a third straight season, the battle that we will be focusing on the most will be at the most important position on the field. While the team won’t get a look at Western Carolina transfer Taron Dickens, who many feel will be a part of the battle when he joins the team in the summer, they will get the chance to get their first looks at fellow transfers Billy Edwards Jr. and Miles O’Neill, who were the two that many expected to be battling it out for the job prior to Dickens signing. Holdover Au’Tori Newkirk and true freshman Travis Burgess could also factor into the conversation here as well, especially the latter if he is ready to return for his ACL injury. The hope is that someone will create some separation here in the next few weeks and set the table nicely for a battle with Dickens in fall camp.

Starting OL

It’s hard to pick just one position here along the offensive line considering how many look up for grabs heading in, so we just went with the entire unit here. Christo Kelly is the only guy who appears to be a guaranteed starter, as he’ll hold down the center spot, meaning there is plenty of opportunity for the rest of the guys in this room. Aidan Banfield looks poised to return to the starting lineup at one of the guard spots and Charleston Southern transfer Andrew Threatt probably will slot in at right tackle, but neither seems written in stone just yet. The biggest question marks are at that other guard spot and left tackle where there are no clear answers. It’s going to be hard to ask for there to be a clear starting five when we conclude the spring, but the hope is that you will have some standouts that are starting to emerge and that this group will be resembling a line that can succeed at the P4 level.

Starting CB

While Jaiden Patterson has the one starting cornerback spot locked up at this point, there should be a battle for the starting job at the starting spot opposite of him after the graduations of Thaddeus Dixon and Marcus Allen. Michigan State transfer Ade Willie was added to the room this offseason, but considering his struggles at times in East Lansing when he played corner, the job should not just be given to him. Holdovers Ty Adams and Jalon Thompson should get their shots to prove themselves out there, as should talented true freshman Kenton Dopson. As long as a solid, consistent starter can emerge in this spot by the end of fall camp, this room should be in good shape this season.

Starting TE

The Tar Heels hit the transfer portal hard at the tight end position back in the winter and it gives the team a multitude of options as we sit here on the eve of spring practice. Ohio State transfer Jelani Thurman is probably the favorite to be the starter when the season opens because of his experience, but both Colorado State transfer Jaxon Warren and Texas transfer Jordan Washington will be pushing hard to take that job from him. Even holdover Shamar Easter can’t be counted out here after a year in the Belichick system, where his role grew as the year went on. This battle is one that will be fun to follow and should produce someone who can have a significant impact on this offense this season.

Backup DT

This is another battle that will be extremely interesting to watch in large part because of the young talent that is on the roster. While Leroy Jackson and Isaiah Johnson could be in for bigger workloads this season, but the team is still going to need to rotate here quite a bit so new rotational pieces need to emerge. The true freshmen are the most exciting names to monitor here, led by Vodney Cleveland and Trashawn Ruffin, and could be poised for big roles with the lack of holdovers here. Xavier Lewis is an interesting name to monitor here, though, after he showed some nice promise early last year, especially as a pass rusher. This is a group that you should be excited to monitor over the next few weeks.