One of the Tar Heels early targets in this transfer window was Howard Sampson, a redshirt freshman offensive tackle from North Texas. His commitment to TCU back on December 18th was a bit of a shocker after how much he was tied to the Tar Heels, but it didn’t deter the staff from staying after him. On Sunday, the staff completed the flip to bring him to Chapel Hill and help a severely depleted offensive line.
Sampson announced the move via social media earlier this afternoon which will allow him to play under Randy Clements, who was his coach as a true freshman. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Sampson played in just four games in his career and has yet to start one, but he looked really good in the snaps that he took for the Mean Green at left tackle at the end of the season. He graded out with a 70.0 or better in each of the three major categories for offensive linemen according to Pro Football Focus, including a 76.8 overall grade.
This addition is nice because it gives the Tar Heels a much needed body in that room and one that is familiar with Clements system. At the same time, this is a guy that rarely played at a Group of 5 school, so he should not be seen as a reason to not go after more help at the tackle position.