North Carolina Tar Heels
ACC
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #91
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- -6.6 (#91)
- SP+ Offense
- 17.2
- SP+ Defense
- 25.0
- SRS
- -6.7
- FPI
- -5.9
- Elo
- 1320
- Talent
- 753
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
3.0p10 2.0 — p90 5.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 0.0% | |
| Make CFP | 0.0% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.0% | |
| Semifinal | 0.0% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 3.4–8.6
Schedule
23rd
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
15th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
32nd
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTCU | +8.3 | 19-33 | -14.3 | 16% | — |
| 2 | vsEast Tennessee State | FCS | 43-5* | +38.4 | 99% | — |
| 3 | @Clemson | +9.5 | 14-35 | -21.4 | 7% | — |
| 5 | vsNotre Dame | +24.4 | 7-36 | -29.8 | 2% | — |
| 6 | @Pittsburgh | +8.4 | 19-32 | -13.1 | 18% | — |
| 7 | @Duke | +6.6 | 22-31 | -9.9 | 24% | — |
| 8 | vsSyracuse | -13.1 | 27-21 | +6.0 | 67% | — |
| 9 | vsMiami | +20.7 | 13-34 | -20.7 | 7% | — |
| 10 | @UConn | +5.1 | 24-29 | -4.7 | 38% | — |
| 11 | vsLouisville | +12.4 | 19-33 | -14.2 | 16% | — |
| 12 | @Virginia | +11.1 | 17-32 | -15.5 | 14% | — |
| 13 | vsNC State | +4.8 | 19-28 | -8.4 | 29% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 4
2026 · 62
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Miles O'Neill← Texas A&M | FR | 6'5" | 220 | ★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Billy Edwards Jr.← Wisconsin | SR | 6'3" | 228 | ★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Au'Tori Newkirk | FR | 6'3" | 200 | — |
| QB | — | Taron Dickens← Western Carolina | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Demon June | FR | 5'11" | 215 | — |
| RB | 2nd | Benjamin Hall | SO | 5'11" | 235 | — |
| RB | 3rd | Jaylen McGill | FR | 5'10" | 200 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Caleb Hood | SR | 6'0" | 220 | — |
| RB | 5th | Kaleb Jackson← LSU | JR | 6'0" | 234 | ★★★ |
| RB | 6th | Charleston French | SO | 5'9" | 205 | — |
Wide Receivers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Jordan Shipp | SO | 6'2" | 190 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Kobe Paysour | SR | 6'1" | 190 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Trech Kekahuna← Wisconsin | SO | 5'10" | 185 | ★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Shanard Clower | FR | 5'9" | 165 | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Nathan Leacock | SO | 6'3" | 217 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Madrid Tucker | FR | 5'10" | 170 | ★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Aziah Johnson | SO | 6'0" | 175 | — |
| WR | — | Mason Humphrey← Lehigh | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Jordan Washington← Texas | SO | 6'4" | 264 | ★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Jaxxon Warren← Colorado State | SO | 6'8" | 240 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Jelani Thurman← Ohio State | JR | 6'6" | 250 | ★★★ |
| TE | 4th | Jordan Owens | SR | 6'6" | 255 | — |
| TE | 5th | Shamar Easter | FR | 6'5" | 215 | ★★★★ |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Aidan Banfield | SO | 6'3" | 300 | — |
| OT | — | Shaq McRoy← Arkansas | FR | 6'8" | 362 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Melkart Abou-Jaoude | JR | 6'5" | 260 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Isaiah Johnson | JR | 6'2" | 275 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Leroy Jackson | FR | 6'1" | 290 | — |
| DL | 4th | Smith Vilbert | SR | 6'6" | 282 | — |
| DL | 5th | Xavier Lewis | FR | 6'0" | 250 | — |
| DL | 6th | Joseph Mupoyi | FR | 6'5" | 261 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Tarvorise Brown← Florida | SO | 6'7" | 296 | ★★★ |
| DL | 8th | Pryce Yates | SR | 6'4" | 265 | ★★★ |
| DL | 9th | Nicco Maggio | FR | 6'1" | 290 | ★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Trey Giddens | FR | 6'3" | 275 | ★★★ |
| DL | 11th | Peter Pesansky | FR | 6'2" | 290 | — |
| EDGE | 1st | Jaylen Harvey← Penn State | FR | 6'2" | 251 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Donovan Hoilette← Richmond | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Andrew Simpson | SR | 6'0" | 238 | — |
| LB | 2nd | Greg Smith | FR | 6'4" | 195 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Jonathan Agumadu | FR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Timir Hickman-Collins | FR | 6'2" | 215 | — |
| LB | 5th | Derek McDonald← Syracuse | SR | 6'4" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Daniel Anderson | FR | 6'1" | 245 | — |
| LB | 7th | Evan Bennett | FR | 6'2" | 230 | — |
| LB | — | Peyton Seelmann← Richmond | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Ade Willie← Michigan State | SR | 6'1" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Will Hardy | SR | 6'2" | 205 | — |
| DB | 2nd | Kaleb Cost | JR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Gavin Gibson | SR | 6'0" | 185 | — |
| DB | 4th | Marcus Allen | SR | 6'2" | 190 | — |
| DB | 5th | Jaiden Patterson | SO | 6'1" | 195 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 6th | Thaddeus Dixon | SR | 6'1" | 185 | — |
| DB | 7th | Coleman Bryson | JR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Tre Miller | SO | 5'10" | 180 | ★★★ |
| DB | 9th | Jalon Thompson | SO | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★★ |
| DB | 10th | Javion Butts | FR | 6'1" | 175 | — |
| DB | 11th | Peyton Waters | SO | 6'1" | 185 | ★★★★ |
| DB | — | Reggie Love II | SO | 5'8" | 175 | — |
Special Teams · 3
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | 1st | Aeron Burrell← LSU | SO | 6'2" | 190 | ★★★ |
| P | 1st | Tom Maginness | SR | 6'0" | 210 | — |
| PK | 1st | Rece Verhoff | SR | 5'11" | 190 | — |
Season History · last 12
2 AP top-10 · 9 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4-8 | 2-6 | #91 | — | — |
| 2024 | 6-6 | 3-5 | #49 | — | 0-1 |
| 2023 | 8-4 | 4-4 | #39 | #10 | 0-1 |
| 2022 | 9-4 | 6-3 | #46 | #13 | 0-1 |
| 2021 | 6-6 | 4-6 | #59 | #10 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 8-3 | 7-3 | #11 | — | 0-1 |
| 2019 | 6-6 | 4-4 | #30 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 2-9 | 1-7 | #88 | — | — |
| 2017 | 3-9 | 1-7 | #55 | — | — |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #17 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 11-2 | 8-1 | #9 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 6-6 | 4-4 | #69 | — | 0-1 |
Recruiting Classes
avg #26 · 67 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★175 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #41 | 208 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 2024 | #26 | 229 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| 2023 | #30 | 219 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
| 2022 | #11 | 259 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| 2021 | #14 | 254 | 1 | 12 | 3 |
| 2020 | #19 | 247 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| 2019 | #30 | 219 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 2018 | #20 | 232 | 0 | 7 | 15 |
| 2017 | #29 | 208 | 0 | 4 | 13 |
| 2016 | #32 | 205 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 20net -11Out 31
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.1
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Jelani Thurman | TE | 3★ | ← Ohio State |
| ▲ | Jordan Washington | TE | 3★ | ← Texas |
| ▲ | Trech Kekahuna | WR | 3★ | ← Wisconsin |
| ▲ | Miles O'Neill | QB | 3★ | ← Texas A&M |
| ▼ | D'Antre Robinson | DL | 4★ | → Oregon |
| ▼ | Mikai Gbayor | LB | 4★ | → Florida State |
| ▼ | Khmori House | LB | 4★ | → Arkansas |
| ▼ | CJ Mims | DL | 3★ | → Texas A&M |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
9 items
- Inside North Carolina's Fierce Three-Way Quarterback BattleAll it takes is one word to describe the three quarterbacks competing to be the starting signal caller for the North Carolina Tar Heels.UNC1d
- North Carolina Football 2026 Top 30 Players: No. 26Here is the No. 26 player on the Tar Heels' 2026-27 roster.UNC1d
- 4 Takeaways For College Football 27 UNC Football RatingsEA Sports' College Football 27 unveiled a bevy of new player ratings ahead of its release, including for the Tar Heels.UNC2d
- 4-star LB Theo Wilson commits to North Carolina: ‘It felt like home’North Carolina continued to build momentum on the recruiting trail by landing a commitment from four-star linebacker Theo Wilson of Tampa (Fla.) Armwood. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound defender, ranked as the No. 29 linebacker in the country, chose Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels over LSU after a recruitment that featured several national contenders. For Wilson, […]UNC2d
- Three 2026 UNC Football Defensive Backs Who Could SurpriseThese three defensive backs could surprise for the Tar Heels in 2026.UNC3d
- Three Offensive Statistical Categories UNC Football Could ImproveThe Tar Heels' offense could see vast improvements under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.UNC5d
- Oklahoma wins 2026 College World Series title over North Carolina, 13-2Oklahoma baseball has won the 2026 national championship. The post Oklahoma wins 2026 College World Series title over North Carolina, 13-2 appeared first on Saturday Down South.UNC6d
- Bill Belichick, North Carolina flips ex-Deion Sanders recruitNorth Carolina football and head coach Bill Belichick won over a recent Colorado, Deion Sanders pledge after Father's Day.UNC6d
- Indiana football beats Georgia, Miami for 4-star LB out of North CarolinaIndiana added a 4-star linebacker on Friday.UNC10d