The college football transfer portal has re-opened with the conclusion of the spring practice season. Carolina already has players in the portal, in addition to the handful of Tar Heels who entered in the immediate aftermath of the season. Here’s a complete list of all of the transfers since last December:
DB Ja’Qurious Conley

Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati
An explosive hitter, Conley made his presence felt every time he was on the field. Sadly, that time was severely curtailed after Conley suffered a devastating knee injury late in the 2021 season. The injury and its ensuing rehab kept Conley on the sidelines until late in 2022, when he was finally able to see playing time for the Tar Heels, though not as a starter. Now, Conley will look to chart a new path at a new school. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
DB Dae Dae Hollins

Image via inside Carolina
Hollins is in the transfer portal for the second time this offseason. He originally entered in December, but pulled his name out and returned to Chapel Hill for spring practice. But now Hollins, who has played for Carolina for five seasons, is in the portal again. Hollins played in all 14 games for the Tar Heels last season after recovering from a knee injury which cost him most of 2021. He will have one year of eligibility remaining at his new school.
LB Bryson Jennings

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
A three-star recruit from Virginia, Jennings redshirted his true freshman season in 2022. Thus, he’ll have a full four years of eligibility at his next school.
LB Gabe Stephens

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
Stephens provided depth for Carolina at the “Jack” position, which is a blend of defensive end and outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Gene Chizik’s system. Stephens redshirted in 2021 and did not record any stats in 2022.
S Don Chapman

Image via Inside Carolina
Update: Don Chapman has since removed his name from the transfer portal and will remain with Carolina in 2023.
Chapman is the first Tar Heel to enter the portal after the conclusion of the spring practice season. A veteran presence in Carolina’s secondary, Chapman appeared in 43 games across four seasons in Chapel Hill. He logged 138 total tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and 12 passes defended. He will have one year of eligibility at his new school.
K Jonathan Kim

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
Kim announced his intention to transfer after Carolina’s loss to Notre Dame in Week 3 of the 2022 season. A kickoff specialist while playing for UNC, head coach Mack Brown said Kim’s transfer is rooted in his desire to kick field goals. Currently, Noah Burnette is Carolina’s field goal kicker.
DL Keeshawn Silver

Image via Tar Heel Illustrated
Silver arrived in Chapel Hill with fanfare as a five-star recruit and one of the best in the state of North Carolina. Not only that, but Silver thrilled Tar Heel fans when he announced he would play both football and basketball for the Tar Heels.
I will be playing both sports 🐏💙 pic.twitter.com/ctV0ifAOqm
— Keeshawn Silver (@keeshawn__) July 20, 2020
Silver never did end up taking the hardwood, and his freshman season of 2021 didn’t turn out as expected either. Silver missed most of the season with an injury. In 2022, he saw just 26 snaps along a Carolina defensive line which saw numerous personnel changes due to injuries. As a redshirt freshman, Silver will have three years of eligibility at his new school.
DB Storm Duck

Image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Duck battled through injuries in his time at Carolina. After bursting onto the scene as a freshman with a pick-six in Carolina’s Military Bowl win against Temple, Duck missed nearly all of the 2020 season and much of 2021. Finally healthy in 2022, Duck showed his talent: he led the Tar Heel defense with three interceptions this season and was named second team All-ACC at cornerback. As a graduate transfer, Duck will have one year of eligibility remaining at his new school.
DB Tony Grimes

Image via UNC Athletic Communications
A heralded five-star recruit, Grimes arrived in Chapel Hill a year early and immediately saw playing time in what would’ve been his senior year of high school. Grimes was a starter at cornerback for all of 2021 and 2022, but did not record an interception during those two seasons after snagging one in 2020. He was a late scratch due to an injury in Carolina’s regular-season finale against NC State, but was able to suit up in the ACC Championship. He announced his decision on Instagram Monday night.
Grimes will have two years of eligibility remaining at his new school.
DB Dontae Balfour

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
Balfour’s redshirt freshman season at Carolina began on a promising note. The defensive back from Florida played 60 snaps in the season opener against Florida A&M and recorded six tackles, but did not see a single snap for the rest of the season. UNC did not provide an official reason, injury or otherwise, for Balfour’s absence.He will have three seasons of eligibility at his new school.
LB Chris Collins

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
A veteran presence on defense, Collins was one of the last Tar Heels on the team to play under former head coach Larry Fedora. The 2022 season was his fifth with Carolina, and he will have one year of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer at his new school. He saw elevated snap counts late this season after injuries to several defensive starters, including linebacker Noah Taylor and defensive lineman Des Evans.
DB Dontavius Nash

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
Like Hollins, Nash was not able to get significant snaps in the Carolina defensive backfield in 2022. He played just 16 snaps all of this season, with all of those coming on special teams. Nash will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at his new school.
LB RaRa Dillworth

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
A highly-touted recruit, Dillworth spent just two seasons in Chapel Hill after committing to the Tar Heels as a four-star prospect. While he didn’t play much as a freshman, he began to see playing time as part of a thin linebacking corps in 2022. Though starters Cedric Gray and Power Echols dominated snap counts, Dillworth did see action after starter Noah Taylor’s season-ending knee injury. Dillworth announced his decision on social media shortly after UNC’s loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship.
— 𝙍𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘿𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 (@Raneiria8) December 4, 2022
Dillworth will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at his new school.
QB Jacolby Criswell

Image via Dakota Moyer
Perhaps the least surprising of Carolina’s transfers, Criswell lost the starting quarterback competition to Drake Maye in August and was never able to see significant snap counts during the season. He made one start as a Tar Heel, which came against Wofford during the 2021 season when Sam Howell sat due to an injury. As a redshirt sophomore, Criswell will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at his new school; his junior and senior years plus the additional COVID year for his participation in 2020.
DL Jahlil Taylor

Image via UNC Athletic Communications
Another holdover from the Fedora Era, Taylor was never able to break through on UNC’s defensive line as he battled back from an injury after starting seven games across 2019 and 2020. He played just four snaps in 2022 and was stuck behind starters Kevin Hester, Myles Murphy, Jahvaree Ritzie and five-star true freshman Travis Shaw. As a graduate transfer, Taylor will have one year of eligibility remaining at his new school.
DB Cam’Ron Kelly

Image via Dakota Moyer
Originally a transfer from Auburn, Kelly started games in 2020, 2021 and 2022 at safety. He also played in five games in 2019 before suffering an injury. Kelly’s best moments at Carolina came against in-state rival Wake Forest: he picked off Wake quarterback Sam Hartman twice in UNC’s comeback win in 2021 against the then-undefeated Demon Deacons, and his late interception of Hartman in this season’s game led to Carolina’s game-winning field goal. Kelly will have one year of eligibility remaining.
TE Kendall Karr

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
Like several of UNC’s transfers, Karr was stuck behind several outstanding performers at his position. As the fourth tight end, Karr could not elevate above Bryson Nesbit, Kamari Morales and John Copenhaver on UNC’s depth chart. He logged 22 offensive snaps in 2022 after sitting out all of 2021 due to injury. He will have two years of eligibility remaining at his new school.
DB Tymir Brown

Image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
A redshirt freshman from Jacksonville, N.C., Brown did not play a single snap for the Tar Heels in 2022 after playing sparingly as a true freshman. He will have three years of eligibility remaining at his new school.
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The transfer portal has ruined college sports. It’s little more than the minor leagues now.