The first Monday after a blowout loss to the NC State Wolfpack is crazy, but maybe not in the way that Tar Heel fans were hoping for. Three players have already entered the transfer portal today and we have yet to conclude the workday.
The third transfer of the day came just a short time ago in the form of former starting running back Elijah Green. As first reported by Matt Zeintz of On3Sports, the junior running back will be hitting the portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
Green played in 27 games in his time at Carolina and started each of the final six games in 2022 for the team at running back. Despite running for 558 yards and eight touchdowns last year, Green was buried as the No. 3 running back on the depth chart to start this season and eventually passed by Caleb Hood to fall into 4th on the depth chart before he decided to sit out the remainder of the year and redshirt. He finishes his Tar Heel career with 664 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 17 receptions, 107 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
His departure along with the graduation of British Brooks opens this Tar Heel running back room up a little bit heading into the offseason. Omarion Hampton is scheduled to be back as the starter and Caleb Hood should also be back, but outside of that, everything should be up for grabs. George Pettaway, who also decided to redshirt earlier this year, could have a shot to develop a significant role with the team, as could current true freshman Jordan Louie. Incoming freshman Davion Gause could also have a crack at some early reps, especially if he was to enroll early.
The last two days are just part of what many expect to be a sizable group of transfers in the next couple weeks. We’ll take you through all of those here on the Heel Tough Blog and break them down further on the Heel Tough Blog Podcast, as well, so make sure you are keeping an eye on our Heel Tough Blog Facebook and Twitter pages.