North Carolina linebacker Jonathan Agumadu says this season feels different - and a lot more personal.
The sophomore from Dallas, Texas, said he spent the offseason working to become a more vocal leader after what he considered a disappointing 2025 campaign. Through three games in 2026, he has backed that up with 12 total tackles and a growing presence inside the locker room.
“For me, it was just caring about the program so much, and I want everybody here to be great: players, coaches, everybody,” Agumadu said during Monday’s media availability. “We [didn't get] what we expected last year, and going into this year was a little more personal for me. And I love the coaching staff, I love the players here, and it was personal to me that everybody got on board.”
That leadership will be tested Saturday, when the Tar Heels host Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish arrive at 4-0 after outscoring opponents 169-33 in the opening month of the season, and FanDuel Sportsbook has them as 21.5-point favorites. Agumadu knows the size of the challenge, but he also knows exactly what North Carolina has to match.
“Their regimen is discipline,” he said. “They do everything right; they're reliable guys, so it's going to take disciplined football to beat them. They don't really have that many penalties, so it's going to take being a more disciplined team and a more physical team to take care of business on Saturday.”
North Carolina is also trying to put the finish of its loss in Death Valley two weeks ago behind it. The Heels led Clemson 17-6 at halftime before falling 28-20 after a long weather delay, and the final 15 minutes turned into a 22-3 Clemson run. Agumadu said the setback showed the Tar Heels exactly where they need to sharpen up.
“I think the loss was good; it exposed a few things that we needed to work on,” he said. “We just gotta finish better.
That's all we need to do. The way we start is the way we need to finish, and if we do that, we'll be just fine.”
Agumadu also pointed to inside linebackers coach Jamie Collins as a major asset for the defense. Collins played in the NFL under Bill Belichick for multiple seasons in New England and retired in 2023.
“It’s been nice, because I've never been coached by a guy who played that recently,” Agumadu said. “So having a coach that just played the game and actually was in our shoes at the highest level of where I want to achieve, it's amazing. Because what he sees and what he felt, and the things that he did also in this defensive scheme, it helps us every day.”
He had praise, too, for one of the Tar Heels’ biggest early-season surprises: Xavier Lewis. The 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore already has six sacks, which puts him in the top five nationally, and Agumadu said he saw the breakout coming as far back as last fall camp.
“I noticed it when I first got here at last fall camp,” he said. “ Xavier was a walk-on, and then he got thrown out there, I think with the twos, and it was like a third-down rep, and he had a crazy pass rush move.
“Everybody was like, 'Wow, this kid's gonna be good.' That's when I knew Xavier was going to be special, and just seeing how he attacked the offseason in Fall camp and training camp, I just knew this season was going to be big for him.”
Agumadu also highlighted starting middle linebacker Derek McDonald, a graduate transfer from Syracuse who brings years of college experience to the defense.
“It’s nice because Derek is so smart, and Derek is the signal caller,” Agumadu said. “Seeing the stuff that he sees pre-snap, with his experience, and playing off of him, it's always nice.”
North Carolina’s defensive group looks more settled this year than it did during Bill Belichick’s first season with the program, when roster turnover was much heavier. Agumadu said the added continuity has helped the unit grow closer, with more returning production in the secondary and defensive line and a linebacker room that has had time to build chemistry since January.
“This year we're more tight-knit: more of a family, more of a brotherhood,” he said. “That started in January.
Having the same guys here from January definitely helps because we get the - I mean, all it is is just chemistry, and we built that over the offseason, built that over the spring, built that over the summer, and we continue to build that. We're not all the way there yet, but we continue to build that.”
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