North Carolina
Four aides to embattled North Carolina Republican quit gubernatorial campaign
By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) – Four top aides to North Carolina’s Republican candidate for governor resigned on Sunday, three days after CNN reported that he once called himself a “black NAZI!” and proposed bringing back slavery in comments posted on a pornography website.
Mark Robinson, an African American who denied making the comments, announced that his campaign manager, finance director, deputy campaign manager and senior advisor had stepped down from their roles with the campaign without saying why. Robinson currently serves as North Carolina’s lieutenant governor.
North Carolina’s gubernatorial campaign has implications for the presidential contest on the same day, Nov. 5. The fortunes of high-profile candidates there could affect partisan turnout or enthusiasm in one of the closely divided battleground states that might swing the election between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
The departures further unsettle Robinson’s campaign with 45 days to go. He is running against Democratic candidate Josh Stein, the state’s attorney general.
“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors. I look forward to announcing new staff roles in the coming days,” Robinson said in a statement.
Robinson, 56, who was endorsed by Trump, has a history of inflammatory comments but denied making the most recently reported statements in a video posted on social media and again in an interview with CNN.
“This is not us. These are not our words. And this is not anything that is characteristic of me,” Robinson told CNN on Friday, alleging someone manufactured what he called “salacious tabloid lies.”
CNN said the posts, which matched Robinson’s social media user name and email address, proposed reinstating slavery, praised Hitler and contained slurs aimed at Blacks, Jews and Muslims. Others were “gratuitously sexual and lewd,” CNN said. They dated from 2008 to 2012, before he entered politics.
Reuters was unable to verify the posts, which CNN reported on Saturday had been removed from the porn site.
The North Carolina Republican Party stood by Robinson in a statement on Friday, but Trump, who previously praised Robinson lavishly, did not mention him during a campaign rally in Wilmington on Saturday, and Robinson was not present.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Sonali Paul)
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.
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.
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?
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.”
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
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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