In an era of unrestricted player movement in college football, teams are undergoing radical changes every offseason. Take UNC before the 2025 season, when the Tar Heels upended their roster and brought in 70 new players.

This offseason, there is only one transfer portal window, between Jan. 2 and Jan. 16. More than two dozen Tar Heels have entered the portal, but the program has also secured the returns of several key contributors from the 2025 season. Here are the players who have confirmed to have “re-signed” with the program and their class in the fall:

  1. RB Demon June (sophomore)
    • 623 total scrimmage yards and 3 touchdowns in 2025
  2. Ā CB Jaiden Patterson (junior)
    • Tied for third on the team with 5 pass break-ups; also recorded an interception
  3. DL Leroy Jackson (redshirt sophomore)Ā 
    • Appeared in all 12 games and recorded 36 tackles
  4. DB Kaleb Cost (senior)
    • Ranked 5th on the team with 45 total tackles in 2025
  5. DE Melkart Abou-Jaoude (redshirt senior)
    • Second team All-ACC in 2025; recorded a team-high 10.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss
  6. WR Jordan Shipp (junior)
    • Led UNC receivers in catches (60), yards (671) and touchdowns (6) in 2025
  7. DL Isaiah Johnson (redshirt senior)
    • 41 tackles and 2 sacks in 2025
  8. DB Greg Smith III (redshirt sophomore)
    • 25 total tackles and an interception in 2025

“Let’s make no mistake about it: we’re in a professional era,” UNC general manager Michael Lombardi told the media in December. “That’s just part of college football. We’re in a professional era, and that’s why you need a [player] grading system. And that’s why you need to be able to value talent so that you understand what you’re paying for.”

UNC finished the 2025 season with a 4-8 record, its worst since the 2018 season.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Andy Mead

Chapelboro.comĀ does not charge subscription fees, and you canĀ directly support our efforts in local journalismĀ here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you byĀ signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Doing It Again
Mack Brown has become Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside, just as he said. When Brown returned to Chapel Hill as football coach in December of 2018, he said his recruiting philosophy would be the same as when he first arrived here 30 years earlier. Despite his 1988 and ā€™89 Tar Heel teams going 1-10, Brownā€™s goal was […]
On Air Today: Ross Martin of Inside Carolina
News-breaker Ross Martin of Inside Carolina joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell to discuss a new recruiting period underway around Carolina Athletics. What names of high school prospects are being heard around the UNC football and men's basketball programs? Plus: how the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges to teams and reporters alike.
Chansky's Notebook: Mack is Back (Again)
Mack Brown's midcourt ceremony at the Smith Center Monday night was a satisfying end to what had been an awkward UNC football saga.
Here's a List of Which Transfers Have Committed to UNC Football in 2026
The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and closed Friday, Jan. 16. Here’s a list of players who have committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the portal so far, with their classes for the 2026 season: QB Billy Edwards, Jr. (Most recent school: Wisconsin, redshirt senior) Ranked 3rd in […]
Tributes Pour In After James Spurling, Director of Kenan Stadium, Dies at 68
James Spurling, who served as the Director of Kenan Stadium and the Kenan Football Center in the heart of the UNC campus since 2006 and had been a Chapel Hill staple for many years prior, died Thursday. He was 68 years old. Tributes flooded in from across the Chapel Hill and UNC sports communities following […]
Financial Report Shows UNC Athletics Operated at $15 Million Deficit in 2024-25 Year
The newest financial report from the UNC athletic department to the NCAA shows the department operated at a deficit of more than $15 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The department reported revenues of $172,951,034 and reported expenses of $187,967,260. The UNC athletic department had operated at a profit in each of the past three […]
'Hard to Imagine': Newmark, Lombardi, Others Share Disbelief at Bill Belichick Hall of Fame Vote
UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi and athletic-director-in-waiting Steve Newmark were among many sports figures to share their disappointment and surprise at reports that head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. An ESPN report published Tuesday night indicated Belichick, currently between his first and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Sophomore Slippage
UNC's schedule for the 2026 football season is out, and Art Chansky says it is very, very bad news for Bill Belichick's second year.
Schedule Set for UNC Football's 2026 Season
The UNC football program now has its complete schedule for the 2026 season. The ACC revealed all of the league members’ schedules Monday night. Your 2026 North Carolina Football Schedule. šŸ šŸ”—: https://t.co/VQdkI47r8nšŸŽŸļø: https://t.co/XERIbvZEH8 pic.twitter.com/6Zb5uSn1y3 — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) January 26, 2026 UNC will open the season in Dublin, Ireland against TCU as part of […]
Several UNC Football Stars Will Return to Chapel Hill in 2026. Here's the Full List.
In an era of unrestricted player movement in college football, teams are undergoing radical changes every offseason. Take UNC before the 2025 season, when the Tar Heels upended their roster and brought in 70 new players. This offseason, there is only one transfer portal window, between Jan. 2 and Jan. 16. More than two dozen […]
›