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.  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) 
    • 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

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