Heel Tough Blog: Ranking Transfer Portal Needs

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While the transfer portal may not officially open up until January 2nd, teams should already be forming their list of needs for when they can start legally negotiating with players on that date. With the Tar Heels season already in the book and 19 players having already entered the portal, it's been pretty easy to start piecing together the team’s list of needs for this portal cycle. Here is a look at our rankings of the most important positions for the team to address in the transfer portal.

14. Interior Defensive Line

With every major contributor expected to return, this is the team’s most secure position entering the offseason. Barring mass exodus at the position in the coming weeks, expect the Tar Heels to pretty much stay put here, especially with Vodney Cleveland, Trashawn Ruffin and David Jackson entering the room from the high school ranks.

13. Center

The hope for the staff is that Christo Kelly will be able to successfully receive a waiver from the NCAA and that this position will be taken care of. As of right now, the chances seem pretty high that he will receive the extra year of eligibility so this is why we have this so low on the list, but if he was to get denied, this would skyrocket up this list.

12. Running Back

The running back spot is good in terms of the numbers right now, but it’s not exactly clear how much talent they have in the room. True freshman Demon June feels like he is definitely worth keeping around after what he showed this season, but the staff has to make a decision on if they believe in him as RB1. If they do, this is a position that the team does not need to be aggressive at, but if not, they need to prepare to add a pretty significant name here.

11. Punter

This is very much like the question at running back, but without the track record that you have with June. This all hinges on the leg of Jacob Horvath, the backup to Tom Maginness this past season. If he showed enough potential to staff, they might be able to lay off here, but only they know if that is the case. Let’s hope this is one position that the team does not need to invest another scholarship spot in.

10. Cornerback

Cornerback is a position that is suffering some significant departures this offseason, but there are some promising young pieces here that should ease the pain of the losses. Jaiden Patterson is someone that the staff must retain after the potential that he showed this season and Kaleb Cost is expected to return at the nickel spot. The rest of the holdovers combine with the recent signees to give you some hope about the future of the position room, but they may not be enough to fill the other vacant position. Because of that, the staff should be looking to add at least a rotational contributor here.

9. Tight End

This is a room that is undergoing a lot of change, but is returning a significant piece that could be a starter. While he may not have been extremely productive, the staff should be doing what they can to retain Connor Cox just to have someone of significance at the position. It’s simple: if the team can upgrade at the position they need to, but this is not a position that the team should be looking to add just anybody at.

8. Wide Receiver

Priority No. 1 for this staff this offseason is to retain Jordan Shipp and it seems like that is off to a positive start by all accounts. There are some young options with potential in the rest of the room, but there is still a question as to how many of these guys will stick around. The staff’s biggest priority needs to be on getting a playmaker on the outside, but they should not be opposed to bringing in someone who has done it at a high level in the slot, either. There is enough potential in some of the freshmen in this room, though, that the staff might only bring in one or two transfers as opposed to redoing the entire room.

7. Kicker

The Tar Heels do have two scholarships invested into kickers as of right now, but they may very well need at least one more. With the departure of Rece Verhoff after one season with the team, the staff may want to bring in an experienced option to compete with the likes of Guytano Bartolomeo and David Green, who have not kicked in a college game. The price has to be right, but it makes a lot of sense for the staff to add at this position. 

6. Safety

This is a room that loses both of its starters from this season and is one that the team has to determine how they will restock. The team will have guys like Coleman Bryson, who played 224 snaps this season, and Javion Butts, who played 51 snaps in the final four games of the season, as holdovers that they can look to elevate to starting roles, but it might be a good idea to bring in some help from the portal here.

5. Offensive Guard

This is where we start getting to some position groups that have been absolutely ravaged by departures and will need to restock through the portal. The team loses both starters to graduation, but they do return Aidan Banfield, who started the first four games of the season before not playing in the final eight games of the season. Depending on how much they believe in him, this is a position that the Tar Heels should be very aggressive at.

4. Linebacker

This is a position that the Tar Heels have to hit hard without question because of all they have lost this offseason. The team lost Andrew Simpson and Mikai Gbayor to graduation at season’s end and Khmori House to the transfer portal shortly after its conclusion, leaving the team without a player that played more than 60 snaps this season on the roster. The team needs to add at least two experienced options here and hope that the true freshmen in this room come along quickly.

3. Edge Rusher

This is a position that took a major leap up the list after Tyler Thompson entered the transfer portal. While Melkart Abou-Jaoude is still expected to return, the starting spot opposite of him is now left vacant due to the fact that Smith Vilbert also graduated at season’s end. The team does have Joseph Mupoyi and some other young options that they are hoping come along, but this is a position that they absolutely must add a high level player at through the portal.

2. Offensive Tackle

The offensive line as a whole was hit hard, but no position was hit as hard as offensive tackle was. The team lost right tackle Jakai Moore to graduation at the end of the season and their best option at left tackle, Miles McVay, to the transfer portal shortly after the conclusion of the season along with some depth at the position. While the team did bring in a couple of tackles during the early signing period, they desperately need to add two starter level tackles to this room if they want to compete better than they did this year against a tougher schedule.

1. Quarterback

Some people may say this is debatable because of the freshmen that are holdovers from this year, but this is a position that you absolutely have to nail this upcoming season after such poor play here this season. There are too many big names that are available to not go out an add someone to this room to at least compete for the starting job next season. This should be the main priority for the staff, but they need to hire an offensive coordinator before they can start focusing on it.