UNC Names Seven Team Captains Ahead of 2026 Football Season
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North Carolina football has officially identified the players it will lean on for leadership during Bill Belichick’s second season in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels announced seven team captains Monday, Aug. 24, just days before opening the 2026 season against TCU in Dublin, Ireland. The group includes three offensive players — running back Benjamin Hall, offensive lineman Christo Kelly and wide receiver Jordan Shipp — along with four defensive players: defensive lineman Melkart Abou-Jaoude, defensive back Kaleb Cost, defensive lineman Isaiah Johnson and linebacker Derek McDonald.
The selections are especially meaningful because Belichick said the captains were chosen by the players themselves. He also praised the overall level of leadership within the program, describing it as an area that has taken a noticeable step forward from his first season at North Carolina.
Notably, none of the quarterbacks, including Game One starter Billy Edwards Jr., were named captain.
Several of the choices were natural given their production and standing within the program.
Shipp has increasingly become one of the faces of Carolina football. The Charlotte native started all 12 games as a sophomore in 2025 and led UNC in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. His 60 catches produced 671 yards and six scores, earning him honorable mention All-ACC recognition.
Abou-Jaoude brings an even more decorated résumé to the defensive side. He exploded for 10.5 sacks last season, leading the ACC and finishing among the national leaders while earning second-team All-ACC honors. He also recorded 47 tackles and 12 tackles for loss, establishing himself as one of Carolina’s most disruptive defensive players.
Hall gives the offense another returning voice from the skill positions, while Kelly provides veteran leadership up front. On defense, Cost and Johnson give Carolina additional continuity from last season’s roster.
McDonald is the notable addition to the captain group. Although he missed much of 2025 because of injury, the former Syracuse linebacker brings extensive starting experience and more than 100 career tackles to the middle of the Tar Heel defense.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the seven-man group is its balance. Carolina has representation from the offensive line, backfield and receiving corps on offense, plus every level of the defense. Four of the seven captains come from the defensive side (which will be without its coordinator), fitting for a unit that will be asked to help anchor Belichick’s attempt to turn around a program that finished 4-8 in 2025.
Leadership will be tested immediately.
North Carolina opens the season Saturday, Aug. 29 against the same TCU program that spoiled Belichick’s Tar Heel debut with a 48-14 victory last September. This time the meeting comes thousands of miles from Chapel Hill at Aviva Stadium in Dublin as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on ESPN.
If Carolina is going to produce a markedly different second season under Belichick, these seven captains will be among the players responsible for setting the tone.
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