Amid an offseason of changes for the UNC football program, perhaps no position group will be more affected than the offensive line. After losing multiple starters to the NFL Draft, head coach Mack Brown has gone to the transfer portal to boost his depth in the trenches. In late 2021, Brown added Corey Gaynor from ACC foe Miami. Now, he’s dipping into the Ivy League.

Former Harvard offensive lineman Spencer Rolland announced Wednesday he would be joining Brown and the Tar Heels for the 2022 season.

Originally from Burnsville, MN, Rolland started 20 games in two full seasons for the Crimson. As a freshman in 2019, Rolland started all 10 games for Harvard, and was named to the preseason All-Ivy League third team before the 2020 season, which was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Rolland backed up the honors by anchoring the Ivy’s second-highest scoring offense in 2021. Rolland again started all 10 games for the Crimson and was named to the All-Ivy League first team. The Crimson finished 8-2 in 2021 and scored 30 points six times, including a 34-31 season-ending win over rival Yale. Rolland will have two years of eligibility with the Tar Heels.

Rolland is also renowned for his performance in the classroom. Even at Harvard, he stood out, being named to the Academic All-Ivy team and a finalist for the Doris Robinson Award, which recognizes student-athletes who excel in the classroom and the community. Rolland was also a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, better known as the “Academic Heisman.” He is expected to graduate from Harvard in the spring, where he majored in mechanical engineering and minored in astrophysics.

Rolland is the third player to transfer to UNC this offseason, after Gaynor and Virginia linebacker Noah Taylor.

 

Featured image via Harvard Athletics

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