Derek McDonald’s transfer to North Carolina started with a phone call he never expected and finished with a quick yes.
In a Buc-ee’s parking lot in January, McDonald saw an unfamiliar Massachusetts area code flash on his phone. When he picked up, he heard a familiar voice on the line.
“Hey, this is Bill Belichick, coach at UNC,” the voice on the other end said.
“Yeah, I know who you are,” McDonald responded with a grin.
Belichick had studied McDonald’s film from his five seasons at Syracuse and wanted him to come run the defense in Chapel Hill. McDonald’s brother was sitting right beside him in the passenger seat, stunned by the moment. For McDonald, the decision to use his final year of collegiate eligibility at North Carolina was immediate.
“Just the knowledge he has and the passion he has for the game,” McDonald said of Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots from 2002-18. “When he told me he watched my film and wanted me to be a part of this team, it was an easy decision.”
That move sets up a reunion Saturday night in Chapel Hill, where McDonald will face Syracuse for the first time since leaving the Orange. He spent five years in central New York, appeared in 41 games and started 27 at linebacker.
Across that stretch, he recorded 168 career tackles and developed into a steady force, sometimes leading Syracuse in several statistical categories. He also earned recognition for his work off the field, landing an Allstate Wuerffel Trophy nomination and an Atlantic Coast Conference Top-Six for Service honor after putting in more than 100 hours helping Syracuse City Schools.
Now, with North Carolina, McDonald says that ACC experience has become part of what he brings to a new locker room.
“Being in the ACC for the past few years, I think I have some experience,” McDonald said. “And some stuff I try to pass down to some of the guys, especially some of the younger guys who might not have played as much.”
At Syracuse, McDonald was known as much for his motor as for his production, and that’s what stood out to Fran Brown over the two seasons he coached him. Brown said McDonald’s impact goes beyond the scheme.
“He’s a tough, intelligent young man that plays hard every play,” Brown said Monday, calling McDonald a competitor whose presence elevates an entire roster.
Brown also made it clear he holds no bitterness about McDonald moving on. After five seasons in Syracuse’s program, McDonald knew Brown’s system well, but the Orange coach was more focused on McDonald finding the right fit.
“Happy that he found a place to go and play and compete,” Brown said.
North Carolina has gotten the version of McDonald that people in Syracuse knew well, but without any of the ego that can come with that kind of résumé. Jamie Collins, UNC’s inside linebackers coach, said McDonald walked into the program ready to fit in.
“He didn’t come in with this big head,” Tar Heels inside linebackers coach Jamie Collins said. “He came in with an open mind and just ready to work and bonded with the guys.”
That approach helped him gain immediate trust and captain status on a defense that also includes young linebackers such as Jonathan Agumadu and Timir Hickman-Collins. Collins said McDonald helps keep that room composed and sets the tone for the group.
He has also built real connections away from the building. McDonald spent time with teammates at group dinners and on fishing trips, and he quickly clicked with roommate Peyton Seelmann, the Richmond transfer linebacker.
Their film study has carried over into the game plan, and the two have translated that work into clean communication on the field. Seelmann’s 53 tackles are second on UNC behind McDonald’s 56.
Through seven games, McDonald has given North Carolina’s front seven some much-needed steadiness. He forced a fumble against then-No. 3 Notre Dame on Oct. 3, then came through with a key fourth-down stop against Pittsburgh on Oct. 10 to help seal a 21-17 win.
“He’s been a great addition to this defense, been a great addition to the room,” Collins said before McDonald’s performance against Pitt. “He’s definitely the type of leader that we need. Derek controls the defense.”
McDonald’s path with Syracuse had already been established before this season changed his availability. Before an injury limited him to four appearances in 2025, he spent three seasons as a fixture in the Orange defense. That earlier standard is still part of what Brown is trying to build now with linebackers Antoine Deslauriers and Chris D’Appolonia as Syracuse works through a 2-4 start.
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