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Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
On3 Sports projects UNC to land an SEC defensive back transfer
As the 2025 college football offseason continues to progress, the North Carolina Tar Heels continue to stay active in the transfer portal. UNC landed its greatest future asset in the form of expected 2025 starting quarterback Gio Lopez, who's coming in from South Alabama. North Carolina also snagged Washington cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, one of the top defensive backs in the portal, while also loading up in the trenches. Advertisement Nothing is official yet, but there's another defensive back projected to join the Tar Heels soon – and he comes from an SEC program. On3 Sports' Pete Nakos predicts Florida Gators defensive back Gregory Smith III, who'll be entering his sophomore season in the fall, to land at UNC. Nakos has a confidence level of 70 percent in Smith's decision, according to the following graphic. According to Florida's official football statistics on Smith played in five games during the 2024 regular season, recording five tackles (three solo) and one PBU. If Smith lands in Chapel Hill, he'd be the second former Gator to do so, joining defensive tackle D'Antre Robinson. North Carolina has three projected returning starters in its secondary – Marcus Allen, Will Hardy and Kaleb Cost, but I'm willing to bet Smith is one of UNC's first off the bench. Advertisement College sports still maintain the excitement of filled stadium and great campus atmospheres, but they're becoming increasingly professionalized, thanks to the transfer portal and NIL money. If both of those help the Tar Heels become a better team, though, I'm all for it. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: On3Sports predicts UNC to land Florida Gators DB Gregory Smith
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
On3 Sports projects UNC to land an SEC defensive back transfer
On3 Sports projects UNC to land an SEC defensive back transfer Can the Tar Heels add this SEC transfer DB? As the 2025 college football offseason continues to progress, the North Carolina Tar Heels continue to stay active in the transfer portal. UNC landed its greatest future asset in the form of expected 2025 starting quarterback Gio Lopez, who's coming in from South Alabama. North Carolina also snagged Washington cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, one of the top defensive backs in the portal, while also loading up in the trenches. Nothing is official yet, but there's another defensive back projected to join the Tar Heels soon – and he comes from an SEC program. On3 Sports' Pete Nakos predicts Florida Gators defensive back Gregory Smith III, who'll be entering his sophomore season in the fall, to land at UNC. Nakos has a confidence level of 70 percent in Smith's decision, according to the following graphic. According to Florida's official football statistics on Smith played in five games during the 2024 regular season, recording five tackles (three solo) and one PBU. If Smith lands in Chapel Hill, he'd be the second former Gator to do so, joining defensive tackle D'Antre Robinson. North Carolina has three projected returning starters in its secondary – Marcus Allen, Will Hardy and Kaleb Cost, but I'm willing to bet Smith is one of UNC's first off the bench. College sports still maintain the excitement of filled stadium and great campus atmospheres, but they're becoming increasingly professionalized, thanks to the transfer portal and NIL money. If both of those help the Tar Heels become a better team, though, I'm all for it. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
College football spring transfer portal window recap: Tennessee drama, QBs on the move
College football's spring transfer portal window officially closed Friday, but not without a flurry of activity leading into, during and at the end of the window. There was high drama at Tennessee, which led to what amounted to a quarterback trade, impact players making moves and hundreds of players entering the portal in hopes of finding a new home. Advertisement Let's recap some of the notable storylines from a busy April. The Nico Iamaleava saga consumed plenty of oxygen because of the unprecedented nature of his brief holdout amid a contract dispute. The former Tennessee quarterback, who helped lead the Volunteers to the College Football Playoff last year, hit the portal on the first day of the spring window and committed to UCLA days later. The quarterback transfer UCLA took during the winter portal window, former Appalachian State starter Joey Aguilar, suddenly needed a new home and found it at … Tennessee. But there were other interesting quarterback moves this month. South Alabama QB Gio Lopez to North Carolina: Bill Belichick's first spring leading the Tar Heels left him looking for reinforcements at quarterback. Purdue transfer Ryan Browne, who joined the Tar Heels in January, re-entered the portal and returned to Purdue. True freshman Bryce Baker, a four-star recruit in UNC's 2025 signing class, also enrolled in January. And Max Johnson, last year's opening-night starter who has started at LSU and Texas A&M, is coming off a significant leg injury. Enter Lopez, who had a solid first season as a starter in 2024 at South Alabama. The former 2023 recruit threw for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions in 11 starts. Several Power 4 teams inquired about him this offseason, but the Tar Heels ultimately won out. To fill the void, South Alabama quickly pivoted and signed former Georgia Tech and Minnesota quarterback Zach Pyron. Excited and grateful, go Heels!🐏 @UNCFootball — Gio Lopez 7️⃣ (@lopezgio1) April 18, 2025 Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli to Syracuse: Angeli's arrival at Syracuse adds intrigue to the quarterback situation. Coach Fran Brown tabbed LSU transfer Rickie Collins as QB1 coming out of spring practice but needed another scholarship quarterback after Michael Johnson Jr., Kyle McCord's backup in 2024, hit the portal. Angeli, who was competing for Notre Dame's starting job, entered the portal a few days later and landed at Syracuse. With 21 career appearances, including one drive in last year's Playoff semifinal, Angeli has a lot more experience than Collins, who has appeared in four games and taken 33 career snaps. Advertisement Iowa QB Brendan Sullivan to Tulane: The Green Wave took two transfers — Ball State's Kadin Semonza and journeyman TJ Finley — in the winter window after their 2024 starter, Darian Mensah, transferred to Duke. But head coach Jon Sumrall was still in the quarterback market after spring practice. Finley, who was suspended from team activities after an arrest, hit the portal. Tulane assessed multiple options and ultimately signed Sullivan, who has started 11 Big Ten games over the past three seasons. Sullivan spent three seasons at Northwestern and transferred to Iowa last season, where he started three games, but the Hawkeyes have handed the 2025 keys to South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski. UCF QB Dylan Rizk to Stanford: The Cardinal needed a quarterback, with Ashton Daniels (Auburn), Justin Lamson (Montana State) and Bear Bachmeier transferring out. Rizk is intriguing. He has three years of eligibility left and started the last four games of the 2024 season for UCF, including a Nov. 2 blowout of Arizona in which he threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 55 yards. He'll be expected to compete for the starting job with Elijah Brown, Stanford's 2024 four-star quarterback signee who appeared in three games and started one last year. Texas State QB Gevani McCoy to Temple: McCoy was the most experienced quarterback to enter the portal in the spring window, with 31 career starts and 2,150 career snaps. He had a productive career in the FCS at Idaho and started last year at Oregon State, but he moved on after the Beavers took Duke transfer Maalik Murphy this winter. McCoy was one of three transfers to commit to Texas State, but he re-entered the portal this month. Temple needed a quarterback, and McCoy should be well positioned to become the Owls' starter for first-year coach K.C. Keeler. Georgia QB Jaden Rashada to Sacramento State: Rashada, who was at the center of an NIL contract saga with Florida in 2022, was looking for a place to play and may have found it. Rashada started as a true freshman at Arizona State in 2023, but an injury disrupted that season and he transferred to Georgia, where he was buried on the depth chart last year. First-time head coach Brennan Marion, a decorated offensive assistant and architect of the 'Go Go Offense,' is looking to make a splash in his debut season at Sac State, and landing a former top-100 recruit created some buzz. Assuming Rashada wins the job, his progress will be fascinating to track. He needs the reps because he hasn't taken a game snap since the 2023 season. The Hornets' 2024 starter, Carson Conklin — a 2024 Jerry Rice Award finalist who threw for 2,876 yards and 28 touchdowns last year — entered the portal over the weekend after news of Rashada's arrival broke. Sac State also signed former Tulsa transfer Cardell Williams in the winter, but Rashada should have ample opportunity to see the field. The Longhorns have mastered the art of selectively utilizing the portal to fill needs, rather than living in it. Recruiting top-five classes annually certainly helps. Texas picked up five impact players in the spring window. Former Stanford receiver Emmett Mosley V, who tied for the team lead in touchdown catches, and Cal transfer tight end Jack Endries (91 receptions in the last two seasons) give Arch Manning two extra weapons to join DeAndre Moore and Ryan Wingo in the passing game. Two young defensive linemen, Maraad Watson (Syracuse) and Lavon Johnson (Maryland), help shore up the interior, where the Longhorns are losing multiple veterans. And kicker Mason Shipley, who was 31-of-35 on field goal attempts at Texas State, fills a need at kicker after Bert Auburn, who struggled late last season, entered the portal. Advertisement New general manager Jim Nagy has wasted little time making an impact since his February arrival. The Sooners acquired one of the best running backs in the country, former Cal star Jaydn Ott, as a graduate transfer. Pairing Ott with Washington State quarterback transfer John Mateer, in former Wazzu coordinator Ben Arbuckle's offense, has intriguing potential. The Sooners also had needs along the offensive line and landed Stanford transfer Jake Maikkula. Mike Gundy and his staff were busy this spring, landing nine transfers thus far in the spring window. The Cowboys restocked at receiver with Marshall's 2024 leading receiver, Christian Fitzpatrick, and a pair of Division II stars: Cam Abshire (Emory & Henry) and Terrill Davis (Central Oklahoma). They also acquired help along the offensive line (Markell Samuel, Appalachian State), at running back (Freddie Brock, Georgia State) and on the defensive line. Belichick and GM Mike Lombardi were busy retooling the Tar Heels' roster after more than 20 scholarship players hit the portal. In addition to landing their quarterback, they signed linebacker Mikai Gbayor, who started 15 games in the last two seasons at Nebraska; Penn State defensive end transfer Smith Vilbert, who has appeared in 34 games there; and four-star receiver recruit Adrian Wilson, who signed with Colorado but entered the portal this month. The Bears had some big losses in Endries and Ott, as well as multiple other running backs, including Jaivian Thomas. But they've responded nicely by picking up quality players like Liberty edge rusher TJ Bush (9 1/2 tackles for loss in 2024), UTSA running back Brandon High (eight touchdowns in 2024) and speedy receiver Quaron Adams, who averaged 30.2 yards per catch last year at South Dakota. QUARON ADAMS EXPLODES FOR 70 YARDS! 💥#FCSPlayoffs x 🎥 ESPN+ / @SDCoyotesFB — NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) December 7, 2024 After making a splash in the winter window, the Red Raiders have made key additions in the spring as well, landing Stanford edge rusher David Bailey and Colorado offensive lineman Cash Cleveland. They also got back a player they lost in the winter: former five-star receiver Micah Hudson. In December, Hudson — the first five-star signee in school history — transferred to Texas A&M, but his stay in College Station was brief, and he returned to the portal this month. After a visit to Utah, Hudson wound up back in Lubbock. Before he transferred out, there was optimism about his future and his potential role at Tech in 2025 had he stayed. Can he get back on that track? The Cougars have quietly had a nice offseason in the portal. They retooled their offense with winter additions at quarterback (Texas A&M transfer Conner Weigman), some experienced receivers and backs and a host of offensive linemen. This spring, they added former Ball State tight end Tanner Koziol, who caught 94 passes last year and had a brief stop at Wisconsin before re-entering the portal. They also landed FIU linebacker transfer Eddie Walls III, who led the team with five sacks and posted the highest pass-rushing grade in Conference USA last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Tulane linebacker Jesus Machado, who led the Green Wave with 98 tackles in 2023 for then-coach Willie Fritz, is rejoining his old coach in Houston this season after transferring in this month. More than 1,100 FBS scholarship players entered the portal in the last month, an average of around eight players per team. To get a sense for the type of player that entered this spring, consider … Plenty of good players have entered the portal, but many are also looking for an opportunity because they didn't have much of one at their previous school. (Photo of Nico Iamaleava: Butch Dill / Getty Images)
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What to know about Bill Belichick, UNC football's trip to Ireland in 2026
What to know about Bill Belichick, UNC football's trip to Ireland in 2026 UNC football is going to Ireland to open the 2026 season against TCU, the university announced April 22. The Tar Heels' matchup with the Horned Frogs as part of the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be UNC's first trip abroad. The game is scheduled for Aug. 26 at Aviva Stadium. Advertisement "We're grateful to be selected to participate in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic," UNC coach Bill Belichick said in a school-issued statement. "It's a tremendous opportunity for our program and we're excited to represent the university and our fans on an international stage." UNC will be the fourth team from the ACC to compete in the classic, joining Boston College, Georgia Tech and Florida State. Kansas State and Iowa State play in the 2025 edition of the event on Aug. 23. UNC'S NEW QB: South Alabama QB Gio Lopez commits to UNC football, Bill Belichick '33RD TEAM': Michael Lombardi says UNC football considers itself '33rd team' in NFL under Bill Belichick Advertisement Tar Heel fans can visit to learn more about the game and sign up for ticket updates, including official UNC travel and hospitality packages, which will become available on May 8. UNC and TCU kick off the 2025 season and Belichick era on Sept. 1 at Kenan Stadium. Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@ This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Bill Belichick, UNC football to play TCU in Ireland to open 2026 season
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
South Alabama QB Gio Lopez announces plan to transfer to North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez is transferring to North Carolina. Lopez announced his decision on social media Thursday night to join Bill Belichick's Tar Heels, who wrapped up spring practices last weekend. Lopez proved to be a dual-threat option in his first full season as the starter, throwing for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns against five interceptions while running for 465 yards and seven scores. Advertisement Lopez started 11 games last year and had appeared in five games while preserving his redshirt season as a freshman in 2023, giving him three more seasons of eligibility. In an interview with The Madison (Alabama) Record, Lopez pointed to the NFL experience of Belichick and his staff as an enticing option as he mulled his final school choices. 'I didn't enter the portal to not be a starter, I can assure you of that fact,' Lopez told the Record. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
