North Carolina is trying to put a 4-8 season and a 13th-place finish in the ACC behind it, and Jordan Shipp sounds ready for the reset.
The veteran wide receiver appeared on a local podcast earlier this week and made it clear he’s fired up about what’s ahead for the Tar Heels. A big reason for that optimism is the coaching change on offense: Freddie Kitchens is out, Bobby Petrino is in.
Shipp is especially eager to work in Petrino’s system, and that’s easy to understand after what North Carolina’s offense looked like a year ago. The Tar Heels were dreadful on that side of the ball in 2025, but Shipp still managed to produce through the mess, finishing with 60 catches for 671 yards and six touchdowns despite shaky quarterback play and bland play-calling.
At 6-foot-2 and 189 pounds, Shipp has the kind of profile that can pop if the offense around him finally functions. That’s where the real intrigue starts for North Carolina. If the Tar Heels get competent quarterback play and Petrino is allowed to run the offense without too much restriction, Shipp could be in line for a much bigger year.
That point ties into a criticism Gio Lopez raised earlier this offseason about what it was like playing for the 74-year-old head coach, specifically around how much freedom the quarterback had before and after the snap.
North Carolina has also upgraded its personnel on offense, and those new pieces will get tested right away. Even so, Shipp looks like a central figure in what the Tar Heels want to do, and with a strong quarterback situation, he could push past 1,000 yards this season.
In Other News...
RJ Davis Just Got Another Chance UNC Fans Need To See
RJ Davis pro path already has a little momentum behind it after a strong first G League season with South Bay. He earned All-NBA G League Rookie Team honors, was picked for the NBA G League Next Up Game and showed enough polish as a scorer and table-setter to keep his name in circulation as summer league rosters started to take shape.
Now he is getting another chance to make an impression in a new setting, and that alone is worth watching for Tar Heels fans who have followed his climb from Chapel Hill to the next level. The Spurs summer league roster includes Davis, a move that caught some people off guard and gives him a fresh stage to keep building on the kind of rookie campaign that made him one of the more interesting Carolina alums in the pro pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Henri Veesaar Just Silenced Doubts About Leaving UNC Early
Henri Veesaars decision to head to the NBA after one season in Chapel Hill has already aged well. The former North Carolina big man went 52nd overall in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Atlanta Hawks, a slot that may have raised some eyebrows after he was projected much higher, but the early returns point to a player whose market was stronger than the draft number suggested.
What makes the outcome even more notable for UNC is the deal structure that followed, with Veesaar landing a contract that looks much closer to what higher second-round picks have received in recent years than to the usual modest rookie arrangement for that range. For a player weighing whether to stay in college longer or make the jump, it is the kind of pro landing spot that quiets a lot of second-guessing and suggests his camp managed the process as well as possible. [Read more 🡒]
Belichick Just Gave UNC Fans Another Reason To Believe In 2027
North Carolinas 2027 recruiting class picked up another notable piece when Chad Willis, a three-star wide receiver from Orchard Lake, Michigan, came aboard as a big-bodied target with the kind of profile that tends to fit in almost any passing game. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Willis brings the traits of a possession receiver, with blocking ability and strong work at the catch point, and he adds to a class that is already starting to take shape on the offensive side.
Willis chose the Tar Heels after taking visits to all three of his finalists, giving UNC another receiver in a group that already includes A'mare Patterson and Anthony Williams. He arrived as the 18th commitment in North Carolinas Class of 2027, a meaningful addition for a program trying to keep stacking size and options for the future. [Read more 🡒]