UNC transfer portal takeaways: Wins, losses and the biggest questions left
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The transfer portal window closed Jan. 16, and North Carolina believes it improved its roster with the additions it made.
The Tar Heels signed 17 players and also managed to re-sign several key contributors from last season. However, they also lost some important pieces and potential commitments.
Here are some takeaways from UNC’s transfer portal additions and departures.
Biggest Win: Keeping Jordan Shipp and Melkart Abou-Jaoude
The two biggest portal victories for Carolina was getting standout edge rusher Melkart Abou-Jaoude and Jordan Shipp.
Abou-Jaoude made an immediate impact in his first season at North Carolina, logging 10.5 sacks to lead the ACC and earn second-team All-ACC honors from both the league and The Associated Press. His sack total tied for eighth nationally and made him the first UNC player since Kareem Martin in 2013 to reach double digits in a season.
The redshirt junior also led all Tar Heel defensive linemen with 646 snaps. He ranked fourth on the team with 47 total tackles and added 12 tackles for loss.
Shipp had a breakout year, recording 60 catches for 671 yards and six touchdowns. He led UNC wide receivers in each category and earned honorable mention All-ACC. He scored a touchdown in four of UNC’s last five games.
Retaining these two players is huge for UNC moving forward.
Biggest Loss: Losing Three Key D-Linemen
While keeping Shipp and MAJ is huge for the program, North Carolina also suffered major losses on the defensive line.
The Tar Heels lost starters C.J. Mims, D’Antre Robinson and Tyler Thompson.
Mims and Robinson were a large reason North Carolina was one of the best defenses in the country in the second half of the year. Mims recorded 42 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, while Robinson had 39 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble last season.
Thompson was Abou-Jaoude’s pass-rushing partner and had plenty of success as well, recording seven sacks and two forced fumbles, all coming in the second half of the season. His production was a major reason it was extremely important for the Tar Heels to keep him on the roster.
Mims committed to Texas A&M, while Thompson committed to ACC rival Louisville. Robinson remains undecided, but Auburn and Oregon are two programs he is reportedly considering.
Biggest Question Mark: The Quarterback Room
Without a question, it’s the signings of Billy Edwards and Miles O’Neill. It’s not because they are bad signings. It’s because the quarterback position is what held Carolina back the most offensively.
In 2024, Edwards completed 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards, with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He ranked second in the Big Ten in passing yards per game, averaging 261.9, and recorded 142 first-down completions.
He posted four games with 300 or more passing yards and eight with at least 250. His best performance came in a 29-28 victory over Southern California, when he threw for a season-high 373 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception.
Edwards likely would have surpassed 3,000 passing yards if he had not been knocked out of Maryland’s 29-13 loss in the second-to-last game of the season. The injury also forced him to miss the season finale at Penn State in Happy Valley, where the Terrapins lost 44-7.
O’Neill didn’t play much at Texas A&M, and when he did, it was in garbage time. However, he does have familiarity with new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. While he didn’t play for Petrino at Texas A&M, he was recruited primarily by him and committed to the Aggies for that reason.
By bringing in a veteran quarterback and a potential fallback option in case something happens to Edwards, the Tar Heels have tried to stabilize the position. Still, quarterback will be the most closely monitored spot, considering North Carolina reportedly spent $2 million on former starter Gio Lopez and it didn’t work out.
Most Underrated Transfer Pickup: LB Peyton Seelmann
Peyton Seelmann turned in a breakout campaign last season, establishing himself as one of the most productive linebackers in the FCS. He led his team with 120 tackles, 52 of them solo, a figure that ranked second in the Patriot League and eighth in the nation. He added 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, earning first-team All-Patriot League honors.
He anchored a defense that surrendered just 290.3 yards per game, the second-best mark in the conference and sixth-best in the country, and that unit also finished second in the Patriot League in scoring defense.
Head coach Bill Belichick and North Carolina already had a scouting report on Seelmann. The Tar Heels faced his team on Sept. 13, 2025, in a 41-6 UNC win, but Seelmann still made his presence felt with nine tackles and a quarterback hurry.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football transfer portal: Key additions, retainments and losses
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