The Tar Heels are set to lose as many as five guys along the offensive line this offseason and the team now has their first public offensive line target in the portal.
Former North Texas OL Howard Sampson revealed earlier this morning via social media that he has received an offer from the Tar Heels. Sampson, who is a redshirt freshman, will have three years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands.
Sampson, the 6’8, 325 lbs. offensive tackle, played in just four games in his two seasons with the Mean Green, but did play significant snaps in the last two games of this year for them. In the 83 combined snaps that he saw between the games against Tulsa and UAB, he allowed two sacks, but still graded out nicely with a 76.8 overall grade, a 73.9 pass blocking grade and a 75.2 run blocking grade.
The Tar Heels have some competition for him, but they do have the advantage of Randy Clements, who did coach him as a true freshman. Since entering the transfer portal yesterday afternoon, Sampson has received nine offers, including ones from fellow ACC schools California and SMU, as well as Kentucky.
This will be a solid first step for the Tar Heels towards rebuilding their offensive line this offseason, but it feels like they need to land some bigger fish, especially on the interior, to replace what is departing.