Garrett Wilson didn’t picture Chapel Hill as a football destination. He pictured it as a place to play basketball.
That came up on Amon-Ra St. Brown’s podcast, “St.
Brown Podcast,” where the New York Jets wide receiver and former Ohio State standout talked about his high school days as a two-sport athlete. Wilson said he knew he was viewed as too small to take basketball to the next level, but there was one program that would have changed everything for him.
“If I got that North Carolina offer in basketball, it's over, bro. I'm gone.”
Wilson didn’t stop there. When asked to choose between North Carolina basketball and Ohio State football, he went straight to the Tar Heels.
“North Carolina hoops, bro, yeah. Back when we were growing up, too, like, you got MJ (Michael Jordan), Tyler Hansbrough.
I remember as a kid, I thought Tyler Hansbrough was so raw. ”
He also said he grew to hate Duke, fully embracing the rivalry between the two programs.
In the end, Wilson stayed on the football path and it worked out just fine. After a strong career at Ohio State, he was taken by the Jets in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
From there, he kept piling up production, becoming the 14th player in league history to top 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two NFL seasons. He would have been on pace for a third straight year if not for an injury during the 2025 season.
The twist, of course, is that UNC never offered him in either sport. So the Tar Heel what-if stays firmly in the imagination. Still, Wilson joins the growing list of former college stars who have openly said they once wanted to wear Carolina blue.
In Other News...
UNC Football Fallout Puts Bill Belichick Under Fresh Scrutiny
UNCs football program spent seven weeks under a microscope, and the universitys review has now left the Tar Heels with more questions than clean closure. North Carolina said the investigation, sparked by allegations from former employees, included more than 60 interviews and concluded that some actions reflected a disregard for the schools values and standards of conduct, even as officials stopped short of calling the problem systemic.
The fallout already reached the sideline with defensive coordinator Steve Belichicks resignation, and the larger conversation is set to continue when Chancellor Lee Roberts addresses the investigation and the football program at an upcoming Board of Trustees meeting. For a program trying to steady itself, the issue now is not just what happened during those seven weeks, but how the university chooses to answer for it going forward. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs Path After Clemson Comes Down To One Crucial Decision
North Carolinas road from here is a good deal clearer after Clemson, even if it is hardly simple. The Tar Heels still have a full run of games left in the 2026-27 season, and the current week-by-week projections suggest a team that can grind its way toward a .500 finish if it handles the matchups in front of it the right way.
The real swing point is less about talent than decision-making from one week to the next, because the remaining schedule leaves little margin for a bad read on an opponents strengths. The forecast points to a 6-6 finish and a postseason berth, but getting there depends on whether North Carolina can keep turning the games it should win into wins instead of letting the season drift into something much harder to salvage. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Is Already Facing A Huge Backcourt Test Under Michael Malone
North Carolinas push to fortify its backcourt for the 2026-27 season has already become one of the clearest priorities under Michael Malone. The staff has spent heavily on recruiting and transfer planning, and the Tar Heels have made Chapel Hill a key stop for some of the best guards in the 2027 class. Among them is five-star point guard Nasir Anderson, who moved up his visit and backed off a planned trip to USC, a signal that UNC remains very much in the hunt for elite perimeter talent.
The bigger picture is simple enough for Tar Heel fans to follow: the program knows it will need reinforcements, and it is acting accordingly before roster turnover forces its hand. Anderson is not the only name on the board, either, with Beckham Black also in the mix as UNC keeps building around the idea that the next great backcourt has to be assembled well in advance. The work is underway now, and the stakes only grow if the current guards eventually head elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]