North Carolina had to fend off more than just opponents this year - it also had to keep its own talent from being lured away through the transfer portal.
That reality showed up in a big way for one of the Tar Heels’ top receivers. Jordan Shipp said on UNC’s in-house podcast Carolina Insider, released Friday, that other programs tried to pull him into the portal with money and other offers.
“There were a lot of people trying to get me to enter the portal, offering me money and all this other stuff,” Shipp said. “Tampering is real. Everybody does it, and it happens to everybody - we’re getting ready for Duke and I’m getting calls, my mom and my family are getting calls and they’re asking what I want to do.”
Shipp said the chance to finish at North Carolina mattered more to him than making a move.
“(The degree) was the biggest thing, because it’s hard to graduate from UNC,” Shipp said. “And I didn’t want to give that up just for football… something can happen tomorrow and I could never pick up a ball again. I feel like with the people here at Carolina that love me, care for me and check in on me, that’s hard to pass up.”
For UNC, that kind of loyalty matters. The Tar Heels have been working to strengthen the football side of the program, and Shipp’s comments point to a player who believes in what head coach Bill Belichick is building in Chapel Hill.
Keeping players like Shipp in the fold won’t solve everything overnight, but it does show that at least some of the roster sees a future worth sticking with.
In Other News...
RJ Davis Just Got Another Chance UNC Fans Need To See
RJ Davis pro path already has a little momentum behind it after a strong first G League season with South Bay. He earned All-NBA G League Rookie Team honors, was picked for the NBA G League Next Up Game and showed enough polish as a scorer and table-setter to keep his name in circulation as summer league rosters started to take shape.
Now he is getting another chance to make an impression in a new setting, and that alone is worth watching for Tar Heels fans who have followed his climb from Chapel Hill to the next level. The Spurs summer league roster includes Davis, a move that caught some people off guard and gives him a fresh stage to keep building on the kind of rookie campaign that made him one of the more interesting Carolina alums in the pro pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Henri Veesaar Just Silenced Doubts About Leaving UNC Early
Henri Veesaars decision to head to the NBA after one season in Chapel Hill has already aged well. The former North Carolina big man went 52nd overall in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Atlanta Hawks, a slot that may have raised some eyebrows after he was projected much higher, but the early returns point to a player whose market was stronger than the draft number suggested.
What makes the outcome even more notable for UNC is the deal structure that followed, with Veesaar landing a contract that looks much closer to what higher second-round picks have received in recent years than to the usual modest rookie arrangement for that range. For a player weighing whether to stay in college longer or make the jump, it is the kind of pro landing spot that quiets a lot of second-guessing and suggests his camp managed the process as well as possible. [Read more 🡒]
Belichick Just Gave UNC Fans Another Reason To Believe In 2027
North Carolinas 2027 recruiting class picked up another notable piece when Chad Willis, a three-star wide receiver from Orchard Lake, Michigan, came aboard as a big-bodied target with the kind of profile that tends to fit in almost any passing game. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Willis brings the traits of a possession receiver, with blocking ability and strong work at the catch point, and he adds to a class that is already starting to take shape on the offensive side.
Willis chose the Tar Heels after taking visits to all three of his finalists, giving UNC another receiver in a group that already includes A'mare Patterson and Anthony Williams. He arrived as the 18th commitment in North Carolinas Class of 2027, a meaningful addition for a program trying to keep stacking size and options for the future. [Read more 🡒]