North Carolina is turning to a broad leadership group as Bill Belichick heads into his second season in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels announced seven captains Monday, Aug. 24, with the picks spanning both sides of the ball and touching nearly every layer of the roster. The group includes offensive players Benjamin Hall, Christo Kelly and Jordan Shipp, along with defensive players Melkart Abou-Jaoude, Kaleb Cost, Isaiah Johnson and Derek McDonald.
Belichick said the captains were chosen by the players, and he pointed to a clear jump in leadership inside the program compared with his first season at UNC.
One omission stood out: no quarterback was selected, including Game One starter Billy Edwards Jr.
A few of the names made sense based on what they produced last season. Shipp, a Charlotte native, started all 12 games as a sophomore in 2025 and led UNC in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He finished with 60 catches for 671 yards and six scores, and earned honorable mention All-ACC recognition.
Abou-Jaoude brought the kind of disruptive season that tends to make a player an obvious locker-room centerpiece. He posted 10.5 sacks, which led the ACC and ranked among the national leaders, and added 47 tackles and 12 tackles for loss on his way to second-team All-ACC honors.
Hall gives the offense another captain from the skill group, while Kelly offers experience on the offensive line. On the other side, Cost and Johnson add more continuity from last year’s team.
McDonald is the most notable new face in the captain group. He missed much of 2025 because of injury, but the former Syracuse linebacker still brings more than 100 career tackles and plenty of starting experience to the middle of the defense.
The makeup of the group is striking for its balance. Carolina has leadership represented from the offensive line, backfield and receiving corps, while the defense is covered at every level. Four of the seven captains come from the defensive side, a fitting setup for a unit that will be asked to help steady a team that finished 4-8 in 2025.
The challenge arrives right away.
North Carolina opens the season Saturday, Aug. 29 against TCU, the same program that handed Belichick’s Tar Heels a 48-14 loss last September. This time, the meeting takes place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Kickoff is set for noon ET on ESPN.
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