The North Carolina Tar Heels have yet another new look to their roster heading into the 2026 season. Another offseason with 50 new additions, including roughly 30 true freshmen, makes the Tar Heels’ roster incredibly young, with a mix of veterans and transfers with inexperience on both sides of the ball.

As head coach Bill Belichick heads into his second season leading the program, the pressure is on to add more wins, and they’ll need some key players and transfers to step up and become major contributors early and throughout the season. Let’s look at some potential X-factors for North Carolina football heading into the summer break.

Offensive X-Factor — Trech Kekahuna, Wide Receiver

A dynamic pass-catcher from Wisconsin, Kekahuna has a chance to become a fascinating asset for offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Kekahuna is incredibly versatile, with quickness, speed, and vision as a ball carrier, allowing him to create yards in space through traffic. His presence on the field will be one to watch this season, making him an important offensive factor.

Defensive X-Factor — Jaylen Harvey, Edge Rusher

We’ve talked a lot about Harvey in recent weeks as a potential key contributor to the Tar Heels’ pass rush this season. The explosiveness and speed off the edge flashed at times during his time at Penn State, including against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl this past season. If Harvey puts it together at Chapel Hill, he becomes a serious X-factor for Steve Belichick’s defense.

Offensive X-Factor — Jordan Washington, Tight End

Jelani Thurman is the tight end I’m higher on in this room the most, but Washington’s size and athleticism make him an intriguing No. 2 option behind Thurman, who should be projected as the presumptive starter heading into the summer.

Washington has solid hands and movement skills to be a productive contributor, and if he puts it together, he quickly becomes an underrated aspect of the Tar Heels’ offense under Petrino.

Defensive X-Factor — Coleman Bryson, Safety

The safety spot for North Carolina has a mixture of veteran presence and talent with Bryson and Greg Smith. The biggest question in this room is whether or not these two players reach their potential as backend playmakers in the Tar Heels’ secondary.

Bryson was the MVP of the Pinstripe Bowl with Minnesota a few years ago as a freshman. The talent and athleticism are there for him to become an impact contributor. If he puts it together, the veteran safety quickly becomes an X-factor in North Carolina’s secondary.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Drew Burress became Georgia Tech’s career leader in home runs, Alex Hernandez drove in four runs, and the Yellow Jackets defeated North Carolina 13-6 on Saturday to claim the ACC Baseball Championship for the 10th time.

The top-seeded and third-ranked Yellow Jackets won the tournament for the first time since 2014.

Burress led off the bottom of the third inning with his 58th career home run. The blast to left field set the tone for a five-run inning that also featured Hernandez’s three-run double.

North Carolina got two back in the fourth inning on a two-out single by Rom Kellis V and two more in the fifth on a home run by Owen Hull.

Things got wild in the sixth inning when North Carolina scored an unearned run in the top half and Georgia Tech added three runs on three wild pitches by Matthew Matthijs in the bottom half, building an 11-6 lead.

Hernandez had three hits, four RBIs and a run scored and Burress had three hits, scored twice and drove in two runs for the Yellow Jackets (48-9). Vahn Lackey had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run.

Hull had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs for the Tar Heels (45-11-1).

Georgia Tech used six pitchers, with the win going to Caden Gaudette (6-1), who shut down North Carolina’s fifth-inning rally.

North Carolina’s Folger Boaz (3-3) allowed six runs, all earned, in 2 2/3 innings.

Second-seeded and No. 2 ranked North Carolina has nine ACC tournament championships and was the defending champion.

Up next

The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Monday. Both teams are tournament regulars, with North Carolina having made 37 previous appearances and Georgia Tech 36.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — If you’ve been “hiss-terically” startled by central North Carolina snakes slithering across sidewalks, curling up near creeks, or making surprise appearances in backyards this week, experts say you’re not imagining things.

Thanks to our months-long drought, snakes are becoming a lot more “viper-active” across the Triangle — outdoors as well as indoors this weekend at the Repticon expo in Raleigh.

Cold-blooded creatures were caught on camera up close and personal as people took pictures of the stars of the show at Repticon.

And for some people and the snakes themselves, it was a little too close for comfort.

“They’re either going to fight or flight,” snake lover Emily Pantoja said. “So, if you’re too close and they feel threatened, they could strike or they’ll rattle their tail to warn you. But most of the time, snakes are going to give you so many warnings before they strike you.”

Rattlers and boas and ball pythons — oh my!

“They are a huge benefit to us,” reptile expert and Repticon vendor Kyle Smith said. “They kill rodents, which takes down the pest population, the flea and tick population.”

And while snakes at the expo are safely confined, experts say many people across central North Carolina are seeing more of the slitherers out in the wild and in neighborhoods — not looking for trouble, but simply trying to survive during the ongoing drought.

“Snakes are like you and I, they want a good water source, they kind of migrate out to try to find better water,” said CBS 17 Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston. “Also, their natural prey is attracted to water sources. So, they’re trying to find them, too. So, as things have stayed dry over the past month plus, they have slowly, surely migrated out. But as things get wetter once again, they’ll likely start going back to creeks, rivers, and things like that.”

Wildlife officials say copperheads, rat snakes, king snakes, and water snakes are among the species most commonly spotted in the Triangle this time of year.

“We provide captive-bred quality reptiles,”  Smith said.

Meanwhile, during Repticon at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Memorial Day Weekend, the massive, family-friendly traveling expo brings together show animals, including lizards, amphibians, and just about every reptile imaginable from around the world.

Repticon breeders, educators, and enthusiasts participate in expert seminars and host live encounters with the creatures for visitors to safely interact with them and perhaps even purchase one or more of the exotic pets.

 “We do New Caledonian geckos, Australian species of geckos and skinks, ball pythons and hard-nosed snakes,” Smith added.

The event organizers hope Repticon helps people separate snake facts from snake fiction.

Experts say most snakes in North Carolina are nonvenomous and avoid humans whenever possible.

“So, if you see a snake outside most of the time, just leave it alone. It’s going to go and do its own thing. It doesn’t want to interact with you. It doesn’t want to hurt you. It’s not going to chase you. It’s not going to bite you,” Smith explained. “They want to do their own thing and go the opposite direction of you.”

Still, wildlife officers recommend you watch your step, avoiding tall grass, and never attempting to handle unfamiliar snakes.

Because one wrong move could leave you in very serious condition.

“Usually that’s what happens with copperheads, which is why so many copperhead bites happen,” Pantoja pointed out.

In North Carolina, it’s illegal to kill, harm, or harass certain snake species that are listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern. 

Doing so can result in a class 2 misdemeanor, fines, and jail time.

Repticon continues on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Protected Snakes in NC

The following snakes are fully protected under state law and cannot be harmed or relocated without an endangered species permit: 

• Venomous: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, Carolina Pygmy Rattlesnake, and Eastern Coral Snake.
• Non-Venomous: Southern Hognose Snake, Pine Snake, Carolina Water Snake, Outer Banks Kingsnake, and Smooth Green Snake. 

Unprotected Snakes

Any snake species not included on the protected list is largely unprotected. While you can legally kill common non-venomous snakes (like garter or rat snakes) or unprotected venomous snakes (like copperheads) if they pose an imminent threat to human health or safety, wildlife officials strongly advise against it. Most snake bites happen when people attempt to kill or corner the animal.