While the Tar Heels have landed eleven commitments in the portal, including one earlier this evening, there is still a feeling of uneasiness about how the Bill Belichick era has begun.
The biggest reason for those concerns is the fact that the team has missed on many of their high-profile targets including four today alone.
It started in the morning when it was revealed that Tennessee EDGE transfer Jayson Jenkins, the No. 127 overall player and No. 15 edge rusher in the portal according to 247Sports Portal Player Rankings, was transferring to Florida State. Jenkins, who visited Chapel Hill earlier in the week, would have been a very welcome addition at a position where the team is wanting to add another talented option with Kaimon Rucker and Des Evans departing this offseason.
Later in the afternoon, the team lost UTSA LB transfer Martavius French, the No. 510 overall player and No. 30 linebacker in the portal, to Colorado prior to his scheduled visit to Chapel Hill which was set to start tomorrow. While French might not be as highly-ranked as some of the other targets, he was coming off an incredibly productive season in San Antonio and would have been a very welcome addition in the middle of this defense with the team losing Power Echols to graduation.
Shortly after French’s announcement, the attention turned to JUCO running back Waymond Jordan, who is ranked as the top JUCO running back in the 2025 class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings. The Tar Heels were one of five schools to receive a visit from him and may have presented the best shot to contribute right away with how young the Tar Heel backfield is, but he is instead deciding to take his talents to the West Coast to play for USC.
The final guy to head elsewhere was the most talented of the group and a guy that could have been a game changer for the Tar Heel offense. According to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports, Tennessee transfer WR Squirrel White, the No. 102 overall prospect and No. 25 wide receiver in the portal, will be transferring to Florida State following his trip to Tallahassee these past few days. White was expected to visit Chapel Hill this week, but the team will now have to focus on Javin Whatley as they look to add another veteran presence to the receiver room.
You can’t leave out the latest bit of news that the team received that made rebuilding one room even more difficult. According to multiple reports, Tar Heel DL transfer Travis Shaw, the No. 123 overall player and No. 13 defensive lineman in the portal, is heading to Texas after a weekend visit to Austin. This was a guy that for the longest time felt like he would be returning because of how quiet things were around him, but now the team must replace every member of the defensive line that played more than 30 snaps this season.
When you take all of this into account, as well as the other high-profile targets that have been tied to the team that have gone elsewhere earlier in the portal cycle, it makes sense why fans are starting to panic a little bit. One of the biggest obstacles that might be standing in the way is the lack of a staff, which is growing more and more frustrating by the day. The team was already behind the eight ball with how long it took for the hire of Belichick to become official and their approach with the hiring of the staff has kept the team there.
The other thing that you have to wonder is whether or not the money is actually there that we were being told would be there? If it is, then you have to worry that players of this generation simply don’t find the idea of playing for Belchick as attractive as the decision-makers at UNC and many media members thought they would. The more likely situation, though, based on how many targets the team has missed on, is that the money simply isn’t there yet like it was made out to be and that it will take time to get where it needs to be to get in the conversation with some of the top teams in the country.
The good news is that the Tar Heels still have some significant targets that they are expecting to host and there are still other players who will enter as the College Football Playoff continues, but time is starting to run out for Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi to build a team that can compete for the ACC in 2025.
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