Training camp is almost here, and with it comes another round of questions around North Carolina football as the 2026-27 college season gets ready to kick off. The Tar Heels are still carrying the weight of a rough first year under Bill Belichick, and that means every part of this roster is getting a close look.
Belichick’s debut in Chapel Hill went sideways fast, with North Carolina finishing 4-8 and landing 13th in the ACC. That kind of season naturally puts the spotlight on the head coach, and the 74-year-old enters 2026 with plenty riding on what comes next. ESPN already put Belichick and the Tar Heels among the top storylines to watch in college football next season, which is no surprise given how much attention the program has drawn since he arrived.
This offseason, though, North Carolina actually had a chance to reshape things. Belichick said after the 2025 regular season that the Tar Heels didn’t have a recruiting class because of changes at head coach and in the front office.
That’s not the case now. Over the last several months, the program has put together one of the better recruiting classes and transfer portal classes in the country, giving the roster a much stronger look than it had a year ago.
There are still plenty of question marks, but the Tar Heels are in a better place than they were last offseason. And as part of this countdown of North Carolina’s top 30 players for 2026-27, No. 21 belongs to defensive tackle Johnson.
Johnson came to Chapel Hill from Arizona last offseason and became part of the rebuilt defensive line. At 6-foot-2 and 275 pounds, he gave North Carolina real production in his first year with the program, finishing with 21 assisted tackles, 20 solo tackles and two sacks.
Now entering his redshirt junior season and his second year in Chapel Hill, Johnson is one of the examples of the continuity Belichick has talked about. Keeping him around was a priority for general manager Michael Lombardi, and that decision matters for a defense that wants to keep building on what it showed in 2025.
Johnson doesn’t always grab the headlines on a line that includes multiple elite pass rushers, but his work mattered. His numbers from his season at North Carolina show a clear step forward from his final year at Arizona, and that kind of growth is exactly what the Tar Heels need from him again.
If he can deliver another jump, North Carolina’s defense has a chance to become one of the best units in the country. The Tar Heels did not live up to expectations last season, but defense was not the biggest issue. Even so, there is still room for improvement on that side of the ball heading into 2026.
One of the strengths of last year’s defense was the pressure it generated on opposing quarterbacks. Johnson is not the main engine of that rush, but he is an important part of it, using his ability to work through the line and help keep the front disruptive.
He may not get the same attention as some of the bigger names around him, but Johnson’s role could end up being a major one. With uncertainty at quarterback and an offense that still looks like a work in progress, North Carolina may lean heavily on its defense early in the season. If Johnson keeps developing his power and motor, he’ll be a big reason that unit stays on track.
In Other News...
Tar Heels Summer League Brings One Encouraging Sign And One Rough Start
Summer League offered a little bit of everything for North Carolina fans on Friday, with Henri Veesaar and Cormac Ryan each giving their new teams something to build on. Veesaar came off the bench for the Hawks and gave them a steady 18-minute stint in an overtime loss to Utah, while Ryan drew a start for Milwaukee and helped the Bucks beat the Warriors Blue with a productive night from the perimeter.
Drake Powells first turn in Brooklyn was a different kind of test. He started against Sacramento and found other ways to stay involved, helping on the glass and as a passer, even as his shot never came around in the loss. The schedule now gives the Tar Heels another layer to watch, with Powells Nets set to see Ryans Bucks on Sunday, a small but familiar crossover for a program tracking several former players at once. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs Rebuilt Passing Game Could Finally Be Dangerous Beyond Jordan Shipp
North Carolina is heading into 2026 with a passing game that looks nothing like the one it will leave behind. A new starting quarterback, a rebuilt receiver room and changes up front all come with the territory, and Bobby Petrino is now the one tasked with sorting it out as offensive coordinator under Bill Belichick. The setup at least gives the Tar Heels more ways to stress defenses, with Jordan Shipp joined by Nathan Leacock, Mason Humphrey and Trech Kekahuna as the main names to know.
Shipp still looks like the clear headliner, but the bigger question is whether the rest of the group can make the offense more than a one-man show. Leacock is getting another chance to live up to the lofty expectations that followed him into college, while Humphrey and Kekahuna offer different kinds of help that could round out the room. The real pressure point, though, is the quarterback spot, because if Petrino and UNC do not get steady play there, all of that new talent could end up looking better on paper than it does on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]