North Carolina will open fall camp without a single player on the 2026 Preseason All-ACC Football Team, extending an unwanted trend for the Tar Heels. For the second year in a row, UNC was left off the conference’s preseason all-league list entirely.
The ACC announced its 2026 preseason team on Wednesday, naming 13 offensive players, 11 defensive players and three specialists. None of the 27 selections came from North Carolina, a result that fits the low expectations surrounding the program heading into Year 2 of the Bill Belichick era.
That backdrop became even clearer a day earlier, when UNC was picked to finish 15th in the 17-team ACC preseason media poll. Put together, the two votes paint a blunt picture of where the Tar Heels stand in the league’s eyes.
North Carolina went 4-8 in Belichick’s first season in Chapel Hill, and the road ahead looks tougher in 2026. The Tar Heels also enter camp with major questions on offense, including a quarterback battle and the rollout of new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s system.
Still, one omission jumps off the page.
Defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude had a strong case to be included after turning in one of the ACC’s best pass-rushing seasons in 2025. He finished with 10.5 sacks, second only to Miami’s Akheem Mesidor among conference players. Mesidor posted 12.5 before leaving for the NFL.
Abou Jaoude’s production earned him Second Team All-ACC honors after the season, which makes his absence from the preseason team stand out even more. That becomes even harder to ignore when the three defensive ends ahead of him on the postseason ACC teams - Mesidor, Rueben Bain Jr. of Miami and Isaiah Smith of SMU - are all gone.
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound edge defender also flashed game-changing ability. He had three sacks against Virginia, two against Syracuse and another three against Stanford. During that stretch, he was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after helping Carolina beat Syracuse.
Preseason honors don’t decide anything once the games start, but Abou Jaoude’s snub gives UNC a clear chip on its shoulder. He’s not just a player with upside; he has already shown he can produce at an all-conference level against ACC competition.
The bigger takeaway is what the shutout says about North Carolina as a whole. It reflects both the uncertainty around the roster and the program’s place in the conference hierarchy.
Miami topped the Preseason All-ACC Team after being picked as the overwhelming favorite to win the league. North Carolina, meanwhile, heads into camp trying to show that last year’s four-win season was the start of a rebuild, not a sign of what’s ahead.
There will be chances to change the narrative. Every season brings players who get overlooked in the summer and force their way into the conversation by December.
In Other News...
Hubert Davis Just Sparked The Next Big UNC Coaching Debate
Hubert Davis exit at North Carolina has already turned into one of the more intriguing offseason storylines around the program, not just because of what it means for the Tar Heels, but because of what comes next for the coach himself. Davis is no longer leading UNC, and the conversation around him has quickly shifted from the job he just held to the one he may be ready to chase again.
According to Matt Norlander, Davis is eager to get back into college basketball coaching in the upcoming cycle, and he has made clear he wants another head coaching opportunity. He also expressed gratitude for his time in Chapel Hill, which leaves the next chapter open but very much in motion as the coaching market starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Malone Is Bringing Back Something UNC Fans Felt Was Missing
John Hensons latest comments on a podcast added a little more texture to UNCs offseason under Michael Malone, and it sounds like one of the first things the new coach has tried to do is reopen the door to the programs former players. Henson said Malone has been making a point to reconnect with alumni and restore the kind of Carolina family feel that has long been part of the Tar Heels identity, with the reunion atmosphere around the program already starting to take shape.
For a fan base that has always valued its ties to past teams, that matters almost as much as anything happening on the floor. Henson also made it clear that this is not just lip service, since UNC is set to hold a Carolina family reunion this year, a sign that Malone is leaning into the broader culture around the program as he settles in. After a stretch in which that connection felt less central than it once did, the shift is hard for Tar Heels fans to miss. [Read more 🡒]