Fall camp has arrived in Chapel Hill, and with North Carolina’s season opener set for August 29 in Dublin against TCU, the Tar Heels are trying to shift the spotlight back to football. Bill Belichick enters year two with a roster built from veterans, transfers and roughly 40 true freshmen, and this month will help sort out which players are ready to rise.
A few names stand out as the camp battles begin.
On the offensive line, McRoy has the kind of size that can change the look of a front in a hurry. A former 4-star recruit, he came to Chapel Hill with offensive coordinator and former Arkansas interim head coach Bobby Petrino, and he brings a real chance to become a force at right tackle. At 6-foot-8 and 335 pounds, the former Razorback has the frame to be a major problem for defenders if he puts together a strong camp.
Quarterback is another spot worth watching closely, and Burgess is in the middle of that fight. A former blue-chip 4-star recruit, he has the physical tools and playmaking ability to potentially emerge as the Tar Heels’ future at the position, and maybe even sooner than that.
He was limited in the spring because of injury, but now he gets his first college fall camp with a chance to make a real push for the Week 0 starting job. In that race, a rookie making mistakes may be easier to live with than a veteran like Billy Edwards Jr.
Then there’s Mupoyi, who could force his way into a bigger role on the edge. He caught attention last fall as North Carolina’s defense put together a respectable showing, even giving ACC Championship runner-up Virginia a run for its money.
Mupoyi is an explosive pass rusher with the burst and bend to create pressure either as a looper in line games or by turning the corner himself. With transfers Donovan Hoilette Jr. and Jaylen Harvey battling to start opposite Melkart Abou Jaoude, the redshirt junior still has a path to make his presence felt if he turns in a strong camp.
In Other News...
Bill Belichick Is Already Facing A Tougher UNC Test Than Expected
Bill Belichicks first year at North Carolina already came with the kind of growing pains few imagined when he took over the program, from recruiting frustrations to a losing season that underscored how much work still needed to be done. There is reason for hope this fall, with the roster projected to be better, but the path ahead is not getting any gentler. The schedule is expected to be tougher, which means the Tar Heels may have to show real progress before the results fully catch up.
The challenge is not just on the field, either. Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi have found that attracting elite college talent to Chapel Hill is not nearly as straightforward as it might look from the outside, and that reality has already shaped the early stages of this rebuild. With expectations now tempered by the difficulty of the job itself, North Carolina enters the next stretch needing more than pedigree to prove the program is moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Which UNC Freshman Is Pushing Hardest For An Early Starting Role
North Carolinas offseason overhaul brought in roughly 60 new players, and with 40 of them freshmen, fall camp has naturally turned into a first-impression test for a handful of newcomers. Two names have separated themselves in the early chatter: quarterback Travis Burgess and safety Jakob Weatherspoon, both of whom arrived with the kind of prospect status that can get a young player on the field faster than expected.
Burgess has earned praise from offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino for the progress he has made, a promising sign for a freshman trying to push into the conversation on offense. Weatherspoon, meanwhile, has flashed the athleticism and range that make him look like a ready-made factor on defense, which is why both players are at least in the mix for early playing time as UNC sorts out its depth chart in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Got Pulled Into A Duke Battle For Elite 2027 Talent
A.J. Williams was already one of the most coveted prospects in the country, and now his timeline has moved up. The former No. 1 player in the 2028 class has reclassified into 2027, instantly changing the recruiting landscape for the next cycle and putting a longer-range NBA Draft path on a faster track.
For North Carolina, the move matters because it drops the Tar Heels right into a heavyweight chase with Duke and several other major programs. Williams is weighing official visits to nine schools, and the added urgency around his decision will ripple through both the 2027 and 2028 rankings as the race for one of the nations top talents sharpens. [Read more 🡒]