The biggest reason to feel better about North Carolina’s offense is simple: Bobby Petrino is in, Freddie Kitchens is out.
That alone gives the Tar Heels a much better chance to climb out of the mess they were in a year ago. After finishing 4-8 in 2025, North Carolina made a clear push to reshape the roster and the staff, and the offense is where the upgrade feels most obvious. Petrino may not be the long-term answer as the play-caller, but he is a definite step up from Kitchens.
The numbers from last season tell the story. North Carolina averaged 19.3 points per game, 289.1 yards per game, 183.9 passing yards per game, 105.2 rushing yards per game, and converted 36.9 percent of its third downs.
Those marks ranked 234th, 264th, 227th, 251st and 187th nationally, respectively. That’s the baseline Petrino inherits, and it leaves plenty of room for improvement.
The running back room, though, did not get the kind of offseason boost the passing game did. Demon June remains the name to watch, and there’s real belief he can grow into an elite piece for the Tar Heels.
But North Carolina also lost Davion Gause through the transfer portal and did not make any notable additions to the backfield. June should be the clear RB1, but as a group, the unit looks basically unchanged.
The wide receiver group is a different story. Last season, Jordan Shipp had to carry too much of the load, and North Carolina made sure to give him help.
The Tar Heels kept Shipp and added Mason Humphrey, Trech Kekahuna and Jaxxon Warren through the transfer portal. They also brought in four-star receivers Carnell Warren and C.J.
Sadler in the 2026 class.
That gives North Carolina a much deeper set of options on the outside, and the passing game should at least be competent because of it. The biggest variable is still quarterback play.
The Tar Heels have Billy Edwards Jr., Miles O'Neill, Travis Burgess and Au'Tori Newkirk in the room, and Edwards Jr. is currently the favorite to win the job. Even so, there’s no guarantee he keeps the starting role for the whole season.
Still, the Tar Heels have given themselves enough at receiver to support whoever ends up under center.
In Other News...
How UNC Landed Michael Malone After A Search Full Of Doubt
North Carolinas coaching search ended with Michael Malone taking over for the 2026-27 season after five years under Hubert Davis, but the path to that decision was hardly straightforward. Athletic director Steve Newmark had to sort through a process that reflected both the pressure of the job and the uncertainty around where the program could turn next, all while the Tar Heels tried to position themselves for a different kind of roster-building era.
Malones first move has been to surround himself with help that fits the moment, bringing in assistant Chuck Martin, whose recruiting track record gives the staff a needed boost as UNC reshapes the roster through the portal and the high school ranks. The Tar Heels have already added several new pieces, and the bigger question now is whether the new staff can turn that early activity into the kind of fast, competitive rebuild this job demands. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Has One Camp Battle That Could Define Petrino's Offense
After a rough 2025 season, North Carolina is spending the offseason trying to reshape the offense around Bobby Petrino, and the tight end room has quietly become one of the more important places to watch. The Tar Heels have added help through the transfer portal at quarterback and tight end, but the real question is how the new pieces fit with the holdovers as Petrino looks for more production and reliability from a unit that needs a reset.
The competition includes Shamar Easter, Jordan Washington, Jaxxon Warren and Jelani Thurman, giving the staff several different body types and skill sets to sort through before camp settles anything. Thurman arrives with plenty of pedigree as a former top recruit, while the rest of the group gives North Carolina options if Petrino wants to lean into multiple-tight-end looks or simply find one player who can separate in a crowded race. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Suddenly In The Mix For A Surging 2028 Point Guard
Brady Pettigrews rise has been hard to miss for anyone tracking the Class of 2028, and the 6-foot point guard out of Illinois is already drawing the kind of attention usually reserved for players much deeper into their prep careers. North Carolina is now in the mix for one of the nations most intriguing young guards, joining Kentucky on a list that has grown quickly as Pettigrews stock has climbed and his reputation has spread beyond the Midwest.
Ranked as a four-star prospect and viewed as one of the top players in Illinois, Pettigrew has backed up the buzz with big-stage production all summer. His Peach Jam run only sharpened the spotlight, and the Tar Heels will keep watching closely as the early recruiting race for a player with this much upside starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]