The early read on UNC’s 2026 offense is hard to miss: there are question marks all over the place.
By the count laid out in the position reviews, there are 20 question marks among 26 possible contributors on offense. That kind of uncertainty shows up at quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end, and along an offensive line that may be the biggest puzzle of all.
The roster construction angle remains a major part of the story in Chapel Hill. Michael Lombardi has been a polarizing figure since arriving at the Kenan Football Center, and the idea behind the roster build was simple enough: Lombardi’s and Bill Belichick’s NFL backgrounds would help identify players with hidden upside, and Belichick’s staff would get that upside out of them.
That idea is going to be tested most directly on offense. Bobby Petrino has built a long coaching résumé by succeeding in different places with different types of players, and some of UNC’s unknowns do have traits that jump off the page.
Shaq McRoy, the right tackle listed with a question mark, is a 6’8”, 335-pound lineman with fluid athleticism. Mason Humphrey, the receiver marked as a question mark and exclamation point, brings a 6’4”, 215-pound frame and the kind of size and length that let him dominate FCS secondaries.
At tight end, Jelani Thurman has apparently impressed in practice, using his 6’6”, 250-pund build and soft hands to win balls deep downfield.
That’s the tantalizing part. A lot of these unknowns could become much more intriguing if they actually translate.
But that only happens if the offensive line can function and the quarterback can consistently deliver accurate throws at all three levels. Right now, the line looks like a genuine riddle.
Eight of the 10 spots in the two-deep are question marks. The right tackle has already been through two stops in three years and logged just 58 snaps in his first two.
The backup tackles have only 62 college snaps combined, and one is coming off an injury. Two starters are also returning from injury.
Two more starters arrived from the FCS, and together they have only five FBS appearances, along with some troubling game film from those matchups. At center, the depth chart piles on more uncertainty with injury, questionable FCS tape, and a true freshman backup.
Will Friend has plenty to sort out.
Quarterback brings a different set of questions, and each name on the depth chart comes with its own uncertainty. Billy Edwards has to get back from his knee injury well enough to push the ball downfield and handle pressure up the middle.
Miles O’Neill needs to become more reliable on the kinds of throws that keep drives alive - out routes, underneath passes, and screens. Au’Tori Newkirk has to answer the question of whether last year’s offensive coaching mess slowed his development.
Travis Burgess, who missed nearly his entire senior season with a knee injury, has to learn the offense and adjust quickly enough to get on the field.
Even the coaches don’t seem to have a clean read on how all of this will shake out. There have been conflicting reports about who is leading and who is backing up, and that only adds to the uncertainty around a team already carrying a heavy load of it.
Every roster has questions in the spring and summer. UNC’s problem is that so many of them are stacked on one side of the ball. The real test is whether a coaching staff can get this many players to perform beyond what they’ve shown so far.
If Belichick and his staff can pull that off in Dublin, it would be the first real sign that the premise behind this hire can work. It wouldn’t mean UNC football is all the way back. But it would mean the program is, at last, moving in the right direction for the first time in a long time.
In Other News...
UNC Quarterback Battle Just Became A Bigger Deal Before Week 1
North Carolinas quarterback competition is still very much alive as Week 1 approaches, with Billy Edwards Jr. and Miles ONeill trying to separate themselves in the final stretch before the opener. The Tar Heels have leaned into the battle all summer, and it has turned into one of the most important decisions of the preseason because the winner will be asked to settle the offense quickly once the games count.
ONeill, the Texas A&M transfer, brings intriguing arm talent and athleticism even if his college passing rsum is still light, while Edwards offers the benefit of experience. The hope in Chapel Hill has to be that the competition is settled before the season begins, because carrying uncertainty at quarterback into September can complicate everything around it. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Could Not Bring Seth Trimble Back After Brutal Roster Twist
The late roster shakeup around Seth Trimbles future gave North Carolina a familiar kind of offseason headache, the sort that turns a straightforward return into a complicated numbers game. After the ruling that granted certain seniors an additional year of eligibility, Trimble announced he will transfer to Louisville, closing the door on what had been a possible path back to Chapel Hill.
Michael Malone said the timing of the ruling created challenges for both the player and the program, and he made clear there were no hard feelings attached to the decision. In the end, North Carolina simply did not have the room to bring Trimble back, leaving him to find a new home even as the Tar Heels try to settle their own roster after an especially disruptive twist. [Read more 🡒]
UNC May Have Found The Unit Bill Belichick Can Lean On
UNCs defense has been shaped around keeping its front intact and adding more help where it matters most. Melkart Abou Jaoude is back, and the Tar Heels also brought in transfers Jaylen Harvey and Tarvorise Brown, giving the line a better chance to hold up over the course of the season. Around Chapel Hill, that group has quickly become one of the more interesting parts of the roster because it has the potential to steady the entire defense.
Derek McDonald recently pointed to the pass rush as a key to how far this team can go, and thats the part Bill Belichick will be watching closely. If UNC can get consistent pressure with the defensive line, it changes everything behind it and gives the rest of the defense a chance to play more aggressively. The talent and continuity are there now, but the bigger question is whether this unit can turn promise into a real edge on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]