Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Lose True Freshman Receiver to the Portal

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The closure of the transfer portal is set for tomorrow and another true freshman from the 2025 class has entered his name into the portal after spending the spring with the Tar Heels.

As first reported by Inside Carolina, true freshman wide receiver Evan Haynes has entered the transfer portal shortly after finishing his first spring camp. Haynes, who committed to UNC under Mack Brown, but signed while the program was still without a coach, will have four years of eligibility remaining wherever he eventually lands somewhere.

Haynes, the No. 955 overall and No. 140 wide receiver in the 2025 class, played his high school football at Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, GA. 2023 was a breakout year for him as he caught 33 passes for a career-high 671 yards and six touchdowns on the way to earning Class 2 Region 8 all-region honors at receiver. He was a key part of the defense and special teams units, finishing with 52 total tackles and two interceptions and averaging 22.3 yards per return and scoring a touchdown on 17 kick returns. This past season, as a senior, Fellowship Christian only kept stats for two games, meaning there aren’t complete stats for his senior season.

This loss is not too shocking, but does limit the depth just a little bit on the outside for the future. If anything, the team will simply sign an extra player in that receiver room in the 2026 class to make up for his absence.