Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Host Three Transfer Targets on Monday

While the Tar Heels were landing more transfer portal commitments on Monday, they were also in the midst of hosting a trio of visitors from the portal, as well. Here is a look at the three players that were on campus at some point today.

LB Derek McDonald- Syracuse

Grant Halverson- Getty Images

McDonald, 6’4, 230 lbs., is another versatile piece, as he played both edge rusher and linebacker in his five year career with the Orange. He was a four year contributor for the team, playing 1,469 snaps and collecting 173 total tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He’s coming off a 2025 season where he missed the final nine games of the season due to a hip injury and the team will have to figure out where exactly they are going to use him, but this would be a solid addition for the Tar Heels.

QB Miles O’Neill- Texas A&M

Maria Lysaker- Getty Images

O’Neill is a guy that new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is very familiar with and is an intriguing young option in the portal. He only played in eight games for Texas A&M over the last two seasons, throwing for 171 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 12 of 20 passing, but he was a high-end 4✮ prospect in the 2024 recruiting class who threw for 2,151 yards and posted a 20-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his senior season at the Hun School in Princeton, NJ. He may not be the proven option that Billy Edwards Jr. is, but he is another talented option that would add to what will be a battle to find a new starting quarterback for the Tar Heels this offseason.

CB Ade Willie- Michigan State

Roger Wimmer- ISI Photos

Willie posted on social media that he was on his visit to Chapel Hill and is another transfer corner that brings some experience to table. In four seasons at Michigan State, he played in 22 games, totaling 34 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and one pass breakup. He started the first four games of this season, racking up 16 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and one breakup, before sitting out the rest of the season to preserve his redshirt. Willie isn’t a home run option by any means, but he would bring some experience to a position that is currently lacking in that area.