North Carolina

2025 Clemson Opponent Portal Tracker: North Carolina Tar Heels

Published

11 months ago

February 10, 2025

Press Room

2025 Clemson Opponent Portal Tracker: North Carolina Tar Heels

Dabo Swinney vs. Bill Belichick.

When Clemson travels to Chapel Hill on October 4, it will be one of the more anticipated matchups of the season.

The game will represent only the second time in college football history that a head coach with multiple FBS national championships will face another head coach with multiple Super Bowl titles.

The Tigers lead the all-time series 40-19-1 and have won six straight over the Tar Heels. Clemson’s last loss to North Carolina came in 2010 in Chapel Hill.

Today, The Clemson Insider continues its series looking at each of the Tigers’ 2025 opponents and the moves each has made in the transfer portal. Players lost, as well as players added.

There will be a lot of roster turnover in Belichick’s first season and the former NFL head coach has been active in the portal. Several players followed his son, Steve Belichick, from Washington to Chapel Hill. Belichick was the defensive coordinator with the Huskies in 2024.

North Carolina Portal Additions

OL Christo Kelly (Holy Cross): Kelly started 22 games over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder was named to the All-Patriot League Football First Team after logging 778 snaps as the starting center and team captain in 2024. A grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.
DL Melkart Abou-Jaoude (Deleware): Had his best season as a junior last year, totaling 24 tackles, with 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 11 starts for the Blue Hens, earning all-conference honorable mention honors. He began his college career as a walk-on and has two years of eligibility remaining.
TE Connor Cox (South Carolina): Appeared in four games with the Gamecocks in 2024, then sat out the rest of the season to preserve the year of eligibility. His only catch over his two years at SC was a nine-yard touchdown against Akron last season. Has three years left.
K Adam Samaha (Michigan): Kicked one extra point at Michigan. Has three years of eligibility left.
DL CJ Mims (E. Carolina): Originally committed to Wake Forest after entering the portal before flipping to the Heels. Over his two seasons at ECU, Mims recorded 37 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. Has two seasons left.
OL Miles McVay (Alabama): A Top 200 talent in the 2023 recruiting class. McVay redshirted his first season and appeared in five games at tackle, logging 94 snaps in 2024. Three seasons left to play.
QB Ryan Browne (Purdue): Was a 3-star in the 2023 class and redshirted his first season. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder, appeared in eight games for Purdue this past season with two starts. On the season, he threw for 532 yards and four touchdowns with a pair of interceptions while completing 56.6 percent of his passes. He also gained 241 yards on the ground. Has three years of eligibility remaining.
OL Chad Lindberg (Rice): Former Top 150 recruit who signed with Georgia out of high school. Over four years with the Bulldogs, he played in 20 games. A year ago, Lindberg transferred to Rice. He started all 11 games he appeared in for the Owls. Seven of those starts were at left guard and the rest were at left tackle.
WR Aziah Johnson (Michigan State): As a red-shirt freshman this past season, he caught 16 passes for 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Had just one drop in 25 targets. Has three years of eligibility remaining.
LB Khmori House (Washington): Last season as a freshman, House tallied 317 snaps across 12 games for Washington, recording 35 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. Three years left to play.
OL William Boone (Prarie View A&M): Appeared in a dozen games for Prairie View A&M last season at right tackle. In a team-high 782 snaps, Boone did not allow a sack in 2024. He has two years remaining of eligibility. His prior collegiate stops were at Kilgore College (2023) and the New Mexico Military Institute (2022).
DB Gavin Gibson (E. Carolina): Spent his first two seasons at Maryland before transferring to ECU last year. Started 10 games with the Pirates (five at cornerback and five at strong safety), recording three interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), three pass breakups, 52 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
DL Pryce Yates (UConn): Injury limited him to just seven games in 2024 but still finished with 21 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks. In the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28, Yates helped UConn beat UNC, 27-14, with six tackles, including three for a loss and a sack. Has one season of eligibility left.
DB Coleman Bryson (Minnesota): Compiled 54 tackles in three years with the Golden Gophers. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
WR Jason Robinson (Washington): The 5-foot-10, 151-pound wideout didn’t appear in a game while redshirting in 2024. Will have four years of eligibility remaining.
DB Peyton Waters (Washington): As a true freshman, the 6-foot-1, 182-pound Waters appeared in all 13 games for Washington this past season, recording five tackles. Waters played three games on defense at safety, but the majority of the action he saw was on special teams. Has three seasons left.
DB Thaddeus Dixon (Washington): Over the past two seasons, Dixon appeared in 27 of Washington’s 28 games with 13 starts (12 this season). He concluded his career with 69 tackles, 16 pass breakups, and a pair of interceptions. Has one year of eligibility left.
OL Daniel King (Troy): King started all 40 of his games at Troy. He is a two-time All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree. King played 789 snaps in 2024 while playing two positions on the line — right guard the first half of the season, before moving to right tackle. Last season he allowed one sack in 408 pass-blocking plays and was the fourth-rated run blocker in the league.

North Carolina Portal Departures

OL Eli Sutton (to Austin Peay)
RB Jordan Louie (TBD)
OL Zach Greenburg (James Madison)
QB Conner Harrell (Charlotte)
OL Andrew Rosinski (Georgia Tech)
DL Travis Shaw (Texas)
OL Howard Sampson (Texas Tech)
K Noah Burnette (Notre Dame)
OL Jakiah Leftwich (UCF)
DB Tyrane Stewart (TBD)
OL Malik McGowan (UNLV)
QB Michael Merdinger (Liberty)
LB Ashton Woods (West Virginia)
LB Caleb LaVallee (Florida State)
DB Deandre Boykins (TBD)
QB Jacolby Criswell (ETSU)

Boston College Portal Tracker

Syracuse Portal Tracker

SMU Portal Tracker

LSU Portal Tracker

Duke Portal Tracker

Georgia Tech Portal Tracker

Photo courtesy of Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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North Carolina

North Carolina DL, former four-star prospect plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal

Published

8 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

North Carolina DL, former four-star prospect plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal

North Carolina defensive lineman D’antre Robinson plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. He transferred to UNC from Florida ahead of the 2025 campaign.

In his lone season with the Tar Heels, Robinson made 12 appearances. He recorded 39 tackles and a forced fumble. He was also credited with half a sack.

As a true freshman at Florida in 2024, Robinson played in 11 games. He notched 16 tackles, including three for loss, as well as 1.5 sacks.

D’antre Robinson played high school football at Jones (FL), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 267 overall player and No. 27 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings.

This past season was legendary head coach Bill Belichick‘s first at the helm of North Carolina. UNC posted a 4-8 overall record and a 2-6 mark in conference play

In December, Belichick hired former Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to serve in the same role for the Tar Heels next season. In November, there was speculation that Belichick would return to the professional ranks. Alas, the 73-year-old HC quickly squashed those rumors.

“Despite circulating rumors, I have not and will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies,” Belichick wrote. “Since arriving in Chapel Hill, my commitment to the UNC Football program has not waivered.

“We have tremendous support from the university, our alumni, and the entire Carolina community. My focus remains solely on continuing to improve this team, develop our players, and build a program that makes Tar Heel fans proud.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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North Carolina

Experienced former North Carolina tight end signs with Auburn

Published

20 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Experienced former North Carolina tight end signs with Auburn

Auburn’s latest incoming transfer brings experience and production to what was a position of weakness last season.

Former North Carolina tight end Jake Johnson signed with Auburn on Saturday, a source confirmed to AL.com. Johnson is the third transfer tight end Auburn has signed since the portal opened, joining Jonathan Echols and Xavier Newsom.

Johnson, however, is the most proven of Auburn’s signees at tight end. He brings four years of experience at North Carolina and Texas A&M, catching 16 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown in 2025.

His best season came with the Aggies in 2023, during which he caught 24 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, he brings versatility to Auburn’s tight end room and may be the best pass catching option.

With Johnson now signed, Auburn’s tight end room is now up to five players, putting the Tigers in a good spot going into the 2026 season.

The transfer portal officially opened on Jan. 2 and will remain open until Jan. 16. Keep up with all of Auburn’s incoming and outgoing transfers here.

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North Carolina

2 Important Keys to North Carolina Entering Wake

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

2 Important Keys to North Carolina Entering Wake

Saturday is a monumental game for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are coming off an embarrassing defensive performance against the SMU Mustangs last weekend. Boopie Miller and the Mustangs dominated the tempo of the game, leading to a 97-83 win over the Tar Heels.

North Carolina will be hosting the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday night. The Tar Heels enter this contest with a 13-2 overall record and a 1-1 conference record. Meanwhile, Wake Forest owns a 10-6 overall record and a 1-1 conference record.

With that brief preview, let’s take a look at a couple of keys to the game that will be deciphering factors in the outcome of this matchup.

Can North Carolina Bounce Back Defensively?

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) drives to the basket past North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

While speaking with the media on Friday during his press conference, head coach Hubert Davis explained what he saw on film against SMU, and how that will be the main message heading into Saturday.

“Obviously, disappointed defensively,” Davis said. “It was just a number of things. I mean, it was on transition, one-on-one, not boxing out at times, not talking and communicating the right way, discipline, shot fake, stay down, putting guys at the free throw line. And so, I was really excited about this week not having a midweek game, to actually have practice. To practice on us, as opposed to preparing for Wake Forest until the latter part of the week. So, I felt like it was a perfect time not to have a midweek game, to be able to get to practice and start doing fundamentally the things that have allowed us all year to be a pretty good defensive team.”

Jan 3, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Juke Harris (2) with a lay up defended by Virginia Tech Hokies guard Jailen Bedford (0) during the first half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Wake Forest’s top offensive weapon is Juke Harris, who is averaging 19.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc.

Last week, the Tar Heels struggled against their opponent’s best player, but Harris and Miller are drastically different players, so North Carolina may be able to contain the 6-foot-7, 200-pound guard more sufficiently. Nonetheless, the Tar Heels’ perimeter defense has to be stellar to win comfortably.

Backcourt Production Has to be Noticeable

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Kyan Evans (0) looks to move the ball past SMU Mustangs guard B.J. Edwards (0) during the game between the Mustangs and the Tar Heels at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

We already know that Seth Trimble will do his part, but someone between Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, and Derek Dixon have to step up with an efficient performance. The trio has been extremely underwhelming for the majority of the season, especially Evans and Bogavac.

For Evans and Bogavac to find sustain success and confidence, a strong outing will go a long way in that regard. Saturday is an important game for the Tar Heels’ guard who need to show a sign of life with conference play heating up.

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