Heel Tough Blog: Veteran RB Medically Retires After 5 Seasons With the UNC Program

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After seeing a handful of players exit the program earlier this season, the UNC football roster took another hit earlier today, as veteran running back Caleb Hood announced his retirement from football after an injury-plagued college career with the Tar Heels. Hood, who scored the first touchdown of the season to open the Bill Belichick era, carried the ball 16 times this season for 44 yards and the lone touchdown back against TCU. After carrying the football 10 times against TCU, Hood only rushed the ball twice against Charlotte, and once in the most recent game, a blowout loss to Clemson, where he finished with -2 yards on the ground, In his Tar Heel career, which spanned five season, Hood carried the football 114 times, for 515 yards, scoring three touchdowns on the ground, while also catching one touchdown as well. Injuries limited his production, as Hood never played in more than 7 games; he appeared in just 31 total games for Carolina. 

Hood released this statement on his Twitter account, where he made his retirement official, stating, "After much thought, prayer and discussion with my family, I have decided to retire from football. My journey at UNC has been special and I appreciate my time here. l am excited to start the next chapter and will always take my memories of Carolina with me. I want to thank Coach Belichick, Coach Kitchens and Coach Means for giving me an opportunity, as well as all my other coaches and teammates throughout my years of football for the impact they've all had on my life!"

In addition to his statement, head coach Bill Belichick also released a statement, saying, "Caleb is a great person, leader, and exemplary teammate. He has done everything we have asked him to do as a student-athlete both on and off the field, and he has been a model representation of our program...He will always be a Tar Heel, and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward."

Without Caleb Hood, Carolina will move forward with freshman Demon June, who has emerged as RB1 for the Tar Heels, and backups Davion Gause and Benjamin Hall. Other running backs on the roster include Charleston French, Jaylon Nichols, Jaylen McGill, and Jo Jo Troupe. 

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