The Tar Heels have been searching for more help along the offensive line after all of the departures this offseason and on Sunday they added a veteran offensive tackle to the mix.
Earlier this afternoon, Georgia Tech transfer Jakiah Leftwich announced via social media that he has committed to the Tar Heels over Boston College, Oregon State, Troy and Tulsa. He will enroll in the summer and join the team in the fall for the first of his two years of remaining eligibility.
Leftwich does bring some ACC experience with him, but he still has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a productive starter for the team. He played in 18 games over the last two years, starting eight of them, all at right tackle. So far in his career, he has allowed three sacks and 28 total pressures in 381 pass protection reps and posted a sub-55.0 run grade in both of his seasons where he has seen action. Those struggles are a big part of the reason why he has yet to be a full-time starter at the college level.
This is the Tar Heels' fourth addition to the offensive line through the transfer portal and adds another player to the room that has major question marks. Georgia transfer Austin Blaske is the only one who should enter spring practice as a projected starter and even he has yet to be a starter at the college level to this point. Leftwich, North Texas transfer Howard Sampson and D3 transfer Zach Greenberg should all have to prove themselves against the incumbent scholarship players before they can earn starting jobs. With so many other experienced options that the team could have added around Blaske after he got the team started, it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed with where this unit is at.