Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Make Big Splash by Landing Top Portal LB

Robin Alam- ISI Photos

We have been waiting for the Tar Heels to make a big splash at the linebacker spot after the departure of Amare Campbell and on Wednesday, that hat finally dropped.

As first reported by On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from Boise State transfer Andrew Simpson over Syracuse and Purdue, who also had interest. He has one year of eligibility remaining at the college level.

Simpson, a former 3✮ prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, is coming off a productive three-year career in Boise, where he saw action in 40 games, including 25 starts. This past season, as a junior, he finished with 45 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 24 total quarterback pressures, three forced fumbles and one interception. The year prior was his breakout season when he collected 66 total tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 33 total quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

This is a massive boost for this Tar Heel defense and actually gives them a real shot at fielding a competitive defensive unit in Week 1 with him slated to start alongside either Khmori House or Mikai Gbayor at linebacker. With the linebacker and defensive back rooms looking to be in good shape, now the question becomes, did the team do enough along the defensive line to make this a legitimate unit that can help this team win games?