An up-and-down season for the UNC football program added another twist Tuesday, as two more Tar Heels announced they would be entering the transfer portal. Junior wide receiver Emery Simmons announced his decision via Instagram, while sophomore defensive lineman Kristian Varner did the same on Twitter.

The announcements come just two weeks after sophomore receiver Khafre Brown, younger brother of former UNC receiver Dyami Brown, announced he would be entering the transfer portal as well. Along with running back Josh Henderson and defensive lineman Clyde Pinder, Simmons and Varner are the fourth and fifth UNC players to enter the transfer portal since mid-October.

Simmons began the year as one of the top receivers on the UNC depth chart, but quickly fell out of the spotlight due to the ascent of sophomore receiver Josh Downs. Simmons caught a touchdown in a Week 2 win over Georgia State, but totaled just 11 catches on the season, and none in UNC’s last two games. Varner totaled two tackles in the season-opening loss to Virginia Tech, but has not appeared on the stat sheet since.

UNC’s wide receiver room now features a plethora of freshmen and sophomores, with only two seniors listed on the depth chart: Antoine Green and Beau Corrales. Corrales has not played a single snap this season, while Green’s production pales in comparison to Downs’. Carolina will have to deal with the spike in transfers as it enters its most difficult stretch of the season, with three of the next four scheduled opponents ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25 poll.

 

Featured image via 247 Sports

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
QB Jacolby Criswell Has Entered the Transfer Portal. Here's the Full List of Players Leaving UNC:
Multiple Carolina football players have declared their intentions to transfer out of Chapel Hill. The announcements come after the firing of head coach Mack Brown, who spent the previous six seasons at the school. Here’s the full list of all players who have announced their entry into the transfer portal, with newer entries added at […]
UNC Football 2025 Spring Transfer Portal Window Tracker: Arrivals
The spring window of the college football transfer portal opened Wednesday, April 16 and closed Friday, April 25. Players who intend to transfer must enter their names into the portal before the window closes, but do not need to have selected their next school by then. Here is a summary of which players have committed […]
UNC Football 2025 Spring Transfer Portal Window Tracker: Departures
The spring window of the college football transfer portal opened Wednesday, April 16 and will close Friday, April 25. Players who intend to transfer must enter their names into the portal before the window closes, but do not need to have selected their next school by then. Here is a summary of which UNC players […]
South Alabama QB Gio Lopez Commits to UNC Football via Portal
Another signal-caller is headed to Chapel Hill. Quarterback Gio Lopez, who spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at South Alabama, committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the transfer portal Thursday night, according to multiple reports. As a rising redshirt sophomore, Lopez will have three seasons of eligibility with […]
Here is Every Player Joining UNC Football Through the Transfer Portal
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 […]
Former Texas A&M TE Jake Johnson Commits to UNC Football
Tight end Jake Johnson, who spent the last two seasons with Texas A&M, committed to the UNC football program out of the transfer portal on Monday. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. Johnson joins his brother Max, who committed to Carolina out of the portal in November. Excited to be a Tar Heel! […]
UNC's Ja'Qurious Conley Has Entered the Transfer Portal. Here's the Complete List of Football Transfers
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 An […]
Ten Months Later, Former UNC Linebacker Shakeel Rashad Breaks Down Effects of NIL
For those who have followed college athletics this year, NIL has become shorthand for a number of issues. The jargon around the NCAA has made it difficult to discern what NIL actually is. Fortunately, former UNC linebacker Shakeel Rashad, who serves as executive director for the organization Heels 4 Life, was able to […]
Virginia LB Noah Taylor to Transfer to UNC Football
The UNC football program has made another splash in the transfer portal. The team announced Monday that linebacker Noah Taylor from the University of Virginia would be transferring to Carolina for his last year of eligibility. Taylor also announced his decision on Twitter. Help us welcome @7_ntaylor to Chapel Hill 🐏 Noah Taylor is officially […]
UNC WR Emery Simmons and DL Kristian Varner To Enter Transfer Portal
An up-and-down season for the UNC football program added another twist Tuesday, as two more Tar Heels announced they would be entering the transfer portal. Junior wide receiver Emery Simmons announced his decision via Instagram, while sophomore defensive lineman Kristian Varner did the same on Twitter. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVyVPSpJRpo/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet pic.twitter.com/NhOqsWJm9A — ひ (@VarnerKristian) November 2, 2021 The […]
›