Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Projected Starting DT Enters Portal

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An already thin defensive tackle spot for the Tar Heels has been ravaged this spring by portal entries and the trend continued on Friday night just minutes before the closure of the portal.

As first reported by Inside Carolina, projected starting defensive tackle Rodney Lora has entered his name into the transfer portal. He will have three years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands.

Lora, a former 3✮ prospect in the 2023 class, spent the first two seasons at the college level with the Tar Heels where he saw action in seven games, six of which came this season. In six games this season, he played 27 defensive snaps and recorded two tackles. This spring, Lora naturally climbed the depth chart with all of the departures and was slated to play a significant role, if not start, next to East Carolina transfer CJ Mims.

With Lora’s departure, the Tar Heels have just four scholarship players that were with the team in the spring, including just two that have spent more than one semester on campus. This room will get a boost with the four defensive tackles that will join the team in the fall from the high school ranks but they are desperately in need of talented depth that can headline the unit. The need to start landing that talent soon or else it could be a long season in Chapel Hill in the middle of this defense.