The transfer portal giveth and taketh away. Fourteen players have left the UNC football program via the portal since the end of the 2023 regular season. Several players have also committed to Carolina out of the portal, giving head coach Mack Brown new weapons for 2024.

Here’s a look at each player joining the Tar Heels:

QB Max Johnson – Texas A&M

Image via Associated Press/LM Otero

Johnson comes to Carolina after stints at both LSU and Texas A&M, and is expected to compete with Conner Harrell for UNC’s starting quarterback job next season. Johnson’s best season as a passer came in 2021 with the Tigers, when he threw for 2,815 yards, 27 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Injuries have shortened each of his last two seasons. Johnson will have two seasons of eligibility in Chapel Hill.

OL Austin Blaske – Georgia

Image via UGA Sports Communications/Tony Walsh

Blaske played three seasons in Athens with the Bulldogs. He arrives in Chapel Hill with previous connections to North Carolina, as he originally committed to NC State in 2020 as a three-star recruit and the No. 42 offensive tackle in the country. However, Blaske flipped to Georgia just days before signing his national letter of intent. He will have two years of eligibility with Carolina.

TE Jake Johnson – Texas A&M

Image via Texas A&M Athletics

The brother of Max Johnson, Jake committed to the Tar Heels shortly after Max did. Like his brother, Jake will have two years of eligibility with Carolina. He caught at least one pass in nine of Texas A&M’s 12 games this season, including a season-high six against Louisiana-Monroe in September. He caught four touchdowns on the season.

S Jakeen Harris – NC State

Image via PackPride

Harris will make the rare move from NC State to Carolina in 2024, the first intra-rivalry move in either direction in the NIL/transfer portal era. Harris had started 19 games for the Wolfpack in 2021 and 2022, but an early injury limited him to just one appearance in the 2023 season. The veteran safety has four interceptions and 167 total tackles in his career. He will have one season of eligibility with the Tar Heels.

OL Howard Sampson – North Texas

Image via 247 Sports

Sampson originally committed to TCU out of the transfer portal, but then switched his choice to the Tar Heels. Sampson redshirted his true freshman season with North Texas in 2022 (under current UNC offensive line coach Randy Clements), but then played in only two games for the Mean Green in 2023. Standing at six feet, eight inches and weighing 325 pounds, Sampson will provide a towering presence on a UNC offensive line which is losing four starters.

RB Darwin Barlow – USC

Image via USC Athletics/John McGillen

Carolina will be the third stop in Barlow’s collegiate career, after three years at USC and two at TCU. Barlow only logged eight rushing attempts for the Trojans in 2023 and has never carried the ball more than 19 times in a game. The veteran arrives in Chapel Hill with 993 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in his career. He will have one year of eligibility with the Tar Heels.

OL Zach Greenberg – Muhlenberg College

Image via Muhlenberg College Athletics

Greenberg comes to Chapel Hill via the Division III route, having spent the last three seasons at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Greenberg started on Muhlenberg’s offensive line as a true freshman and impressed immediately, earning first team all-conference honors. He missed most of his sophomore season due to injury but came back just as strong in 2023, once again being named first team all-conference. He will have two seasons of eligibility with Carolina.

OL Jakiah Leftwich – Georgia Tech

Image via Georgia Tech Athletics

Leftwich became the fourth offensive lineman to join the Tar Heels out of the portal when he committed on February 4. A rising redshirt junior, Leftwich made 17 appearances and eight starts for the Yellow Jackets across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He contributed to a Georgia Tech offensive line which allowed the fewest total sacks in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets also led the conference in rushing yards per game. Leftwich will have two years of eligibility in Chapel Hill, where he’ll be reunited with former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins, who is now serving as UNC’s defensive coordinator.

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