Since Bill Belichick and Mike Lombardi arrived, UNC has added 117 new players to a roster that only accommodates 105. Hopefully this can help you keep track of who’s likely to see the field for UNC next season and why.
In 2026, college football has one transfer portal, and the window for entering that portal ended yesterday. Players who entered the portal can transfer at any time from here on out. It remains possible that UNC might add a player or two down the line, but classes started January 7.
It’s safe to assume at this point that the roster and staff for the 2026 are mostly set.
The look-ahead for the offense posted yesterday and can be found here. A review of the UNC recruiting class for defense can be found here.
In 2025, Bill Belichick, plus Steve and Brian, directed a unit that rated one of the five worst UNC defenses in the last 20 years. Given Gene Chizik’s results, that’s some dubious company. It ended the season getting run over by NC State.
Long story short: UNC’s 2025 defense allowed less big plays than 2024’s. However, 2025’s defense lost 3rd and 4th downs at a higher rate and surrendered more long drives for touchdowns. 2025 produced nine less sacks, 15 less tackles for loss, and three less turnovers. See the first half of the NC State game, where State got the ball four times and launched four 11+ play drives, all ending in touchdowns. FPI considered the trade of surrendering efficiency to limit explosiveness a wash, while FEI considered it a net step back.
So: how do things look for 2026?
Coaching: zero coaching changes. The defensive line was arguably UNC’s best coached unit in any of the three phases last season, and Bob Diaco returns as DL coach. Steve Belichick returns as DC and LB coach. Brian Belichick coaches the DBs and safeties, with Armand Hawkins working with the CBs.
Interior Defensive Line: UNC had an effective interior rotation last season of Leroy Jackson, Isaiah Johnson, CJ Mims, and D’Antre Robinson. Mims and Robinson entered the transfer portal, with Mims headed to Texas AM and Robinson’s destination TBD. Those two together logged over 700 snaps for UNC last season, so their loss stings. Replacing them starts in the portal with Tarvorise Brown, a walk-on at Florida the last two years who logged five tackles while appearing in three games the last two seasons. Xavier Lewis, a true freshman late addition to the roster last summer, showed some promise with over 100 snaps. The recruiting class adds Vodney Cleveland (4 stars), Viliami Moala (4 stars), Trashawn Ruffin (4 stars), and Jimmy Alo-Suliafu (3 stars). Can true freshman contribute on the interior line of scrimmage? It’s a spot on the field that rewards physical maturity and experience over potential. Just go watch Indiana games this season to see that.
Sidebar: Vodney Cleveland originally committed to Alabama. Texas then outbid Alabama for Cleveland’s commitment, and he flipped. Lombardi then outbid Texas. Cleveland was the ninth-rated player from the state of Alabama and the 14th-rated defensive tackle in this recruiting class. Perhaps Belichick and Lombardi saw something to value him more than the staff at both Alabama and Texas. Regardless, Cleveland likely comes to UNC as an extremely high priced addition to the recruiting class. He could be called upon early.
Edge: Melkart Abou-Jaoude returns at one end. Tommy Thompson at the other transferred to Louisville. Donovan Holiette, a first-team All-Patriot league transfer from Richmond who will be in his 6th year of eligibility, likely replaces Thompson in the starting line-up. Behind them will be Jaylen Harvey from Penn State, with 11 games of experience under his belt. Zavion Griffin-Haynes, a four-star recruit, could be in the mix for some snaps as well.
Linebacker: Like the offensive line, the linebacker room loses almost all of its snaps from last season. Andrew Simpson and Mikai Gbayor exhausted their eligibility, and Khmori House transferred to Arkansas. Into their shoes via the portal step Peyton Seelman from Richmond and Derek McDonald from Syracuse. Seelman, another first team All-Patriot League performer, shows good instincts but tends to go backwards when tackling. McDonald, whose mother ran track at UNC, comes to UNC as a sixth-year player after a hip injury cost him his 2025 season. McDonald logged 173 tackles in five seasons at Syracuse. The recruiting class adds potential true freshman contributors in D.Q. Forkpa (#13 linebacker in the 2026 cycle and Calvin Thomas (#38) . Other contributors could arise from last year’s development and some lower rated LB recruits.
Cornerbacks: The churn in the secondary has been difficult to follow, as UNC carried up to 25 DBs on its roster at one point. The approach there seems to be massive try-outs. UNC loses four key contributors in its defensive backfield, including both starting corners and starting safeties to expiring eligibility. Jaden Patterson and Kaleb Cost both saw extensive playing time last season and return to likely starting positions at Nickel and one of the corner spots. Tre Miller, who saw some playing time last season, will compete for the other corner spot with Wisconsin transfer Ade Willie. Jalon Thompson, a reserve from last season, and highly rated incoming freshmen Kenton Dopson will be in the mix as well.
Safeties: Greg Smith and Coleman Bryson both earned meaningful snaps last season and seem next up at the two starting safety spots. Competing for playing time will be Javion Butts, a reserve from last season, and another highly rated incoming freshman, Jakob Weatherspoon. Another name could emerge from last season’s scout team. However, it should be noted secondary assignments these days can be fluid, with players cross-training at multiple positions to provide insurance against injuries.
Add it all up: After losing six starters plus four key rotation players, the defense is a complete rebuild. There’s no other way to spin it. Sometimes rebuilding a bad defense can be a good thing. However, while the transfers bring experience, they have clear talent ceilings. The players in the recruiting class might end up being better than the players exiting, but that’s both a “maybe” and “someday.” If everything works perfectly and every question mark proves to be an answer, next season could see the defense move into the category of “ACC average.”
However, the possibility of ending next season in the same spot as last, hovering near the bottom of the ratings in opponent-adjusted metrics, remains. The defense opens against TCU with question marks everywhere, and Dykes is a seasoned veteran at exploiting matchups once he identifies the weak links. The schedule on paper looks far more difficult than last season, although it’s becoming harder to predict season to season who will be good and who will unexpectedly flop. Injuries could put multiple true freshmen on the field at once. The phrase “trial by fire” springs to mind.
Rebuilds built on so many new players often end a season much better than they start. Next year could easily see two steps forward by the offense combined with a defense stuck in neutral for much of the season. Scoring could be up across the board, as the offense tries to keep pace and the defense just tries to hold on. Would that be eerily similar some teams we saw with Mack Brown? Yes, it could. Would that mean we’d upped our football spending to $50 million a year to end up right back where started? Yes, it would.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
Here are mine: Hope for the best. Temper your expectations. Go Heels.
