The Tar Heels have been looking for some headliners to add to their portal class and they did just that on Tuesday night.
According to a report from Inside Carolina, Connecticut edge rusher Pryce Yates has signed with the Tar Heels. Yates originally entered the portal back on December 13th, but withdrew shortly after he took a visit to NC State. He re-entered the portal on December 30th just two days after the team’s 27-14 victory over the Tar Heels in the Fenway Bowl. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Yates, the No. 221 overall player and No. 28 edge rusher in the portal, spent the first three years of his career with the Huskies and was a major contributor in all three. As a redshirt freshman in 2022 starting at defensive tackle, he finished with 45 total tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 27 total quarterback pressures and one forced fumble in 528 snaps across thirteen games. In 2023, he moved out to the strongside defensive end spot and racked up 42 total tackles, 14.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 30 total quarterback pressures in 559 snaps across twelve games. This season, he saw limited action because of an offseason injury, but he still tallied 21 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 14 total quarterback pressures in 340 snaps across seven games. Yates closed his time with the Huskies by being named defensive MVP of the Fenway Bowl after collecting six total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack.
This is a massive addition for the Tar Heels along their defensive front. He gives the team another experienced edge rusher to pair with Beau Atkinson and his production with the Huskies will be more than welcome at a position where the team struggled to create consistent havoc plays this past season.