North Carolina’s 2-1 start has already produced its share of frustration, but it has also revealed a few players who look ready to turn this season into something bigger. After the Tar Heels blew a 17-6 halftime lead and fell 28-20 to Clemson in Saturday’s conference opener, the loss did not erase what has been building through the first three games: a handful of breakout performances that point to real star power.
One of the loudest arrivals has come up front on defense. The six-foot, 260-pound Lewis has wasted no time establishing himself as one of the ACC’s most disruptive interior linemen, piling up 17 total tackles, including 12 solo stops, and six sacks.
He has recorded two sacks in each of North Carolina’s first three games, and that kind of steady production has kept the Tar Heels’ pass rush rolling even with Melkart Abou Jaoude out for the last two weeks. When the defensive line is whole, it already looks like one of the league’s strongest and most complete groups, and Lewis has been a huge reason why.
The linebacking corps has found a major difference-maker too. Seelmann, who piled up 120 tackles last season to finish inside the top 10 nationally, had a quiet opener against TCU with just two tackles.
Since then, though, he has surged with 18 total tackles over the last two weeks and added a forced fumble against East Tennessee State. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound junior made the jump from Richmond to Chapel Hill look seamless, and his pairing with Derek McDonald has become one of the ACC’s most intimidating linebacker combinations.
If this pace holds, Seelmann won’t stay under the radar for long.
North Carolina has also had to adjust at tight end after Jaxxon Warren’s injury, which is expected to keep him out for most, if not all, of the 2026 season. That setback reshaped a position group that had been considered one of the deepest on the roster, but Thurman has stepped in and made himself a central part of the passing game.
The Ohio State transfer has 11 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown through three games, and he has become Billy Edwards Jr.’s safety blanket on screens and intermediate routes. If the quarterback play sharpens, Thurman has the kind of profile that could make him one of the ACC’s best tight ends.
In Other News...
UNC Suddenly Faces A QB Decision That Could Define The Season
The bye week arrived at a useful time for North Carolina, because the conversation around the offense changed fast after the 28-20 loss to Clemson. Billy Edwards Jr. had a rough afternoon through the air, finishing 13 of 30 for 135 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while the defense faded after halftime and left the Tar Heels chasing the game. In a season where every small edge matters, the quarterback spot has suddenly become one of the most consequential decisions on the table.
A change is at least being discussed internally, and the timing makes sense with a break in the schedule to reset before the next stretch of difficult games. Still, this is not a simple plug-and-play call, and the context around the offense suggests any move could be premature if the staff believes the bigger issues go beyond one position. For now, UNC has a week to sort through whether it needs a new answer under center or simply a better version of the one it already has. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Got An Eligibility Boost With Bigger Questions Ahead
A court ruling out of Indiana has given North Carolina football kicker Rece Verhoff and three Tar Heels field hockey players a temporary path back to competition, restoring a fifth season of eligibility while the broader legal fight plays out. The decision also covers Ryleigh Heck, Sietske Brning and Dani Mendez, and it comes as part of a challenge to the NCAAs new age-based eligibility model for athletes in the high school Class of 2022.
For UNC, the immediate effect is simple enough: the athletes are allowed to return during the 2026-27 academic year if they choose to keep going. The bigger issue is still unresolved, though, because the injunction only addresses eligibility for now and leaves the larger question of how the NCAAs new standard will hold up in court hanging over players who thought their college timelines were already set. [Read more 🡒]
Antawn Jamisons Return To UNC Comes In A Role Fans Will Love
Antawn Jamison is back on campus in a way Tar Heels fans can appreciate, even if it is far removed from the spotlight he once commanded at Carmichael. The former UNC star and two-time NBA All-Star has returned to the university as a visiting professor, joining the Hussman School of Journalism and Media to co-teach a sports communication course with associate professor Livis Freeman.
Jamison is using the classroom to draw from both his playing days and his life after basketball, giving students a front-row look at how the sports industry works from the inside. For UNC, it is a fitting homecoming for one of its most recognizable former players, and a reminder that his influence around the program now extends well beyond what he did on the floor. [Read more 🡒]