Multiple Carolina football players have declared their intentions to transfer out of Chapel Hill. The announcements come after the firing of head coach Mack Brown, who spent the previous six seasons at the school.

Here’s the full list of all players who have announced their entry into the transfer portal, with newer entries added at the top of the page:

QB Jacolby Criswell

Image via Associated Press/Chris Seward

Jacolby Criswell will be entering the transfer portal for the third time following his second stint with the Tar Heels. Criswell originally joined Carolina as part of the Class of 2020, but transferred to Arkansas in 2023 after serving as a backup to both Sam Howell and Drake Maye across three seasons. He then returned to Chapel Hill for 2024 and unexpectedly inherited the starting quarterback position midseason following an injury to first-stringer Max Johnson and the benching of second-stringer Conner Harrell. Criswell finished with 2,459 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

DB DeAndre Boykins

Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

A redshirt junior from Concord, Boykins appeared on track to a strong career in Chapel Hill after starting all 14 of Carolina’s games in the 2022 season. But Boykins’ 2023 campaign ended before it began, as he suffered a season-ending injury in training camp. He returned to the field in 2024, but saw his role greatly reduced: after recording 67 tackles in 2022, he finished with just six in 2024. Now, Boykins will look to use his final year of eligibility elsewhere.

DB Ty Adams

Update: Ty Adams removed his name from the transfer portal on Monday, January 6.

A redshirt freshman, Adams served mostly in a reserve role among Carolina’s defensive backs in 2024. He recorded four tackles on the season, half of which came in the Fenway Bowl vs. UConn on December 28. He will have three years of eligibility remaining at his next stop.

LB Caleb LaVallee

A backup for most of the season, LaVallee was a standout in UNC’s Fenway Bowl loss vs. UConn on December 28. He finished the game as Carolina’s leading tackler, filling in for regular starter Power Echols. But less than 24 hours after the game ended, LaVallee entered his name into the transfer portal.

LB Ashton Woods

Woods came to UNC rated as a four-star recruit, the No. 17 linebacker in his class and the No. 43 player overall from Georgia. He made appearances in several games for the Tar Heels but didn’t find a foothold in Carolina’s linebacker rotation. Now, he is entering the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

QB Michael Merdinger

A three-star prospect from Florida, Merdinger put up gaudy numbers for Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale (not to be confused with the school of the same name in Raleigh). He threw for 2,850 yards and 26 touchdowns as a senior. He then enrolled early at Carolina in the winter of 2023, but was not able to move up the depth chart even as UNC’s quarterback position was shaken up early in the season. Now, Merdinger will be taking his talents elsewhere.

OL Malik McGowan

A junior from Charlotte, McGowan appeared in a combined 38 games across three seasons in Chapel Hill, though never as a starter. McGowan saw much of his time on special teams units and occasionally on the offensive line when a starter suffered an injury. Now, the big offensive lineman will enter the transfer portal.

DB Tyrane Stewart

Stewart made the jump from junior college to UNC after the 2023 season. In his only season with the Tar Heels, Stewart served mostly as a backup in the defensive backfield. He finished the year with seven total tackles.

OL Jakiah Leftwich

Just a year after transferring to Carolina from Georgia Tech, Leftwich is back in the portal. Despite starting multiple games in the past for the Yellow Jackets, Leftwich was not able to break into UNC’s starting offensive line in 2024. Now, he will look to use his last year of collegiate eligibility elsewhere.

WR Gavin Blackwell

Despite being a four-star prospect, Blackwell was never able to break through in a crowded wide receiver room. In 2024, the junior recorded just four catches for 43 yards, none of which came after the Duke game on September 28. He had just nine catches for 166 yards in 2023. Now, Blackwell is transferring with one year of eligibility remaining.

WR Kobe Paysour

Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Kate Joyce

Update: Kobe Paysour removed his name from the transfer portal on Tuesday, December 17.

A junior from Kings Mountain, N.C., Paysour enjoyed a hot start to his sophomore season in 2023 while catching passes from Drake Maye. Paysour reeled in seven passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in the opening game and recorded a season-high 100 yards in the fifth game. Unfortunately, Paysour suffered a season-ending foot injury the week after. He was back in action in 2024, but was a victim of Carolina’s decreased reliance on the aerial attack. Paysour didn’t catch a single touchdown this season. Now, he’s hitting the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining.

K Noah Burnette

Image via UNC Athletic Communications

A second team All-ACC honoree in 2023, Burnette made 19 of 20 field goal attempts and all 43 of his extra-point attempts as a junior. But as a senior, Burnette struggled in the second half of the season. After a 4-4 performance in the opener against Minnesota, he made just 11 of his next 17 field goal attempts to finish 15-21. Burnette also missed an extra point for just the second time in his career.

OL Howard Sampson

A towering offensive tackle, Sampson started along the UNC offensive line in his first season after transferring over from North Texas. But now, Sampson will look to join his third school in three seasons after entering the transfer portal.

DL Travis Shaw

North Carolina defensive lineman Travis Shaw (4) celebrates after recovering a fumble during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Minnesota, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

One of the highest-rated recruits ever to suit up for the Tar Heels, Shaw arrived in Chapel Hill as a five-star prospect out of Greensboro’s Grimsley High School. Though Shaw’s first two seasons with Carolina saw him struggle to stay on the field, he played his best games as a Tar Heel in 2024. He finished the season with a career-high 22 tackles and two fumble recoveries. Now, the highly-touted prospect is entering the portal for his final year of eligibility.

OL Aidan Banfield

A true freshman along the offensive line, Banfield earned the rare honor of a Week 1 start for the Tar Heels at guard. Banfield would start eight more games during the season. Originally a three-star prospect from Georgia, Banfield will now enter the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

Update: Aidan Banfield removed his name from the transfer portal on Thursday, December 12.

OL Austin Blaske

Update: Austin Blaske removed his name from the transfer portal on Wednesday, December 11.

Blaske came to Carolina during the 2023-24 offseason after four years at Georgia. He quickly installed himself as a staple along UNC’s offensive line, starting all 12 games at center despite dealing with nagging injuries early in the year. Now, Blaske will enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining.

LB Amare Campbell

Image via UNC Athletic Communications

Update: Amare Campbell removed his name from the transfer portal on Saturday, December 14.

A standout on the Carolina defense in his first season as a full-time starter, Campbell finished the season with 72 total tackles (42 solo), 6.5 sacks (tied for the team lead), two passes defended and a forced fumble. He started all 12 of UNC’s regular-season games and recorded at least three tackles in each. As a true sophomore, Campbell enters the portal with multiple years of eligibility remaining.

OL Andrew Rosinski

A freshman from Georgia, Rosinski arrived in Chapel Hill as a four-star prospect and the No. 191 player in his class. He has a previous connection to the state of North Carolina: his grandfather previously served as the play-by-play voice of the Carolina Panthers. Rosinski didn’t play during his only season with the Tar Heels and announced his decision to transfer via social media on Sunday, December 8.

QB Conner Harrell

Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Andy Mead

Harrell made three starts in a Carolina uniform, the first coming in the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl after normal starter Drake Maye declared for the NFL Draft. Harrell lost the starting job the following fall to Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson, but had to step in anyway following Johnson’s season-ending leg injury in the opening game. Harrell then started the next two games against Charlotte and North Carolina Central, but again lost the job to third-stringer Jacolby Criswell. Harrell didn’t start another game for the rest of the season.

OL Zach Greenberg

Greenberg transferred to Carolina during the previous offseason after spending three seasons with Division III Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania. Greenberg saw action at center when regular starter Austin Blaske struggled with injuries early in the season, but never broke through to become a full-time starter.

RB Caleb Hood

Image via Associated Press/Reinhold Matay

Update: Caleb Hood removed his name from the transfer portal on Friday, December 27.

A senior from Rockingham, N.C., Hood’s time in Chapel Hill was unfortunately defined by numerous injuries. During his sophomore season in 2022, Hood started four of the first seven games before an upper-body injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. He then missed six of Carolina’s 13 games in 2023 and only played in four in 2024. Stuck behind Omarion Hampton on UNC’s depth chart, Hood was overtaken by true freshman Davion Gause for the No. 2 spot this past fall.

RB Jordan Louie

A four-star running back prospect, Louie was never able to break through in two seasons with the Tar Heels. He appeared in just one game in 2023 and none in 2024.

OL Eli Sutton

Sutton, a junior from Tennessee, signed with Carolina as a four-star prospect in 2021. But since then, Sutton struggled to see the field as a Tar Heel. He didn’t make a single start in three seasons.

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