North Carolina’s first three games have already produced a few loud takeaways, and the loudest one might be this: the Tar Heels’ defensive front is for real.
Xavier Lewis has been the headline act, piling up six sacks in three games and doing it with two in each contest. That kind of production is hard to ignore, and it has come while North Carolina has also had to manage life without Melkart Abou Jaoude, who has missed the last two games with a hand/wrist injury.
Even with that absence, the line has kept rolling. Jaylen Harvey has stepped in and helped soften the blow, Leroy Jackson and Isaiah Johnson have been active in the middle, and true freshman Calvin Thomas has started to see more snaps as the group stays fresh and disruptive.
That front is a major reason North Carolina can still win games. Against Clemson’s offensive line last weekend, it showed exactly why this unit belongs among the ACC’s better groups.
The bigger problem, though, is at quarterback. Billy Edwards entered the season looking like a player who could settle in and become the steady hand North Carolina needed after a solid showing against TCU.
Instead, the Clemson game sent things off the rails. What had looked manageable quickly turned ugly, and the Tar Heels’ quarterback situation went from stable to desperate.
Edwards’ second-half confidence appeared to vanish, and a performance like that simply won’t cut it in a game of that size. That is why the conversation has shifted to Miles O’Neill, who now feels like the next option. A potential first start would come against Notre Dame, which is hardly an easy place to introduce a young quarterback, but the situation is pressing enough that North Carolina may have to go there anyway.
The final takeaway is that this team is simply better than the one that took the field a year ago. A lot of people expected North Carolina to sit at 1-2 after three games, and the record alone does not tell the whole story. The effort in Clemson, even with the 28-20 loss after leading 17-3, suggested a program that is becoming tougher to handle under Bill Belichick.
That improvement has shown up on both sides of the ball. Belichick may be in the hot seat, but the way his team plays doesn’t look like a group feeling that pressure. The Tar Heels play hard, and they make games uncomfortable for whoever is across from them.
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 🡒]
UNC Already Has 3 Breakout Stars Fans Need To Notice
North Carolinas 2-1 start has given the Tar Heels a little breathing room heading into their Week 4 bye, and it has also surfaced a few names worth keeping on the radar. The early buzz starts up front with defensive tackle Lewis, who has been a major force in the pass rush despite the team dealing with injuries around him, while linebacker Seelmann has quickly made his presence felt after arriving from Richmond and settling into a bigger role.
On the offensive side, tight end Thurman has stepped into the mix at an important time after the injury to projected starter Jaxxon Warren, becoming a more reliable part of the passing game. For a team still sorting out its identity this early in the season, those kinds of breakout performances matter because they can help stabilize both sides of the ball while the Tar Heels use the bye week to reset and prepare for what comes next. [Read more 🡒]