The North Carolina Tar Heels head into the 2026 season with expectations again circling the program, and this time the spotlight is leaning more toward football than it was a year ago. There’s been improvement on both sides of the ball, and with that comes the possibility of real growth for the program as a whole.
That also puts Bill Belichick in the middle of a college game that keeps getting messier. NIL has become a wild, hard-to-control system, and Belichick is trying to steer through it while some of his key players still have eligibility left.
For a few Tar Heels, that could mean a headache. For others, it could mean a bigger payday if the season breaks the right way.
Jakob Weatherspoon is the kind of player who could force that conversation quickly. It may be early to put a true freshman in this kind of spotlight, but he brings a skill set North Carolina doesn’t really have elsewhere on the roster.
The Tar Heels need defenders who can make a difference at all three levels if they’re going to keep moving forward, and Weatherspoon’s range, ball skills and athleticism already stood out in high school. Those same traits are expected to show up in fall camp.
If he puts together a strong freshman season, both UNC and other programs are likely to come calling. At that point, he’d be in line for a serious payday in Chapel Hill.
Jordan Shipp is already one of the faces of the program this fall, and he enters the season as one of the ACC’s better receivers. If the quarterback situation settles down, he has the chance to become a major playmaker. He finished last year with more than 600 receiving yards, and that number is expected to climb.
That kind of season could leave Shipp with a big decision: go to the NFL Draft, stay at North Carolina, or chase a larger offer somewhere else. No matter which path he takes, the money is coming, and he’s an obvious candidate for a major NIL deal if the moment arrives.
June is another name to watch, especially with offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino in place. Petrino has a reputation for leaning on the run game, and his offenses have produced big rushing numbers before, including last season at 2-10 Arkansas with Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. in the mix.
June showed flashes of elite ability as a runner and is expected to open the season as the Week 0 starter at running back for the Tar Heels. If he delivers a season in the neighborhood of 1,200 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, a bigger NIL deal would be an easy call for the sophomore.
In Other News...
UNC Suddenly Has A New Frontcourt Race To Win
A recent federal ruling has quietly changed the recruiting landscape for college basketball, and North Carolina is already taking notice. A U.S. District Court judge granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes in the high school graduating class of 2022, opening the door for programs to recheck the market on experienced big men and creating a new wrinkle for the Tar Heels as they continue shaping their frontcourt.
One name to surface quickly is Cameron Fens, the seven-foot center from South Dakota State who was among the players granted that additional year. UNC has shown interest, and it is hardly alone, with a long list of programs also getting in touch as the transfer and eligibility picture starts to settle. For the Tar Heels, it adds another layer to a frontcourt race that already felt important, and now has a new contender in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Quarterback Battle Just Put Fresh Pressure On The Safer Options
Training camp has already pushed North Carolinas quarterback competition into one of the biggest talking points around the program, and the early conversation has a familiar shape: the safer, more experienced options are still the ones with the clearest path. Billy Edwards Jr. and Miles O'Neill bring the kind of experience coaches usually lean on in August, while the Tar Heels are also trying to sort out how quickly they want to trust a true freshman in Travis Burgess.
Still, Burgess has not sounded like a player the staff plans to ignore. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino has been open about the freshmans potential, and that kind of praise matters at a position where every practice rep gets magnified. Even with the veteran presence in the room, the fact that Burgess is already being mentioned as a legitimate contender says plenty about how unsettled this battle could remain as North Carolina works toward the opener. [Read more 🡒]
UNC May Have Found The Pass Catcher This Offense Desperately Needed
North Carolina spent much of 2025 searching for answers on offense, and the struggles were severe enough to cost Freddie Kitchens his job and send the Tar Heels in a new direction with Bobby Petrino running the attack. Since then, the staff has worked to reshape the passing game by adding receivers and tight ends through both the transfer portal and recruiting, all in an effort to give the offense more reliable options and a clearer identity.
Early in training camp, senior receiver Humphrey has emerged as the name worth watching. He already showed last season that he can be a productive target, finishing with 35 catches for 651 yards and four touchdowns, and now he looks like a player who could help stabilize a passing game that badly needs it. For UNC, finding one trusted pass catcher would be a major step toward making this offense more functional under its new coordinator. [Read more 🡒]