The transfer portal has become a joke at the end of the spring. Over the last few months, the NIL-dominated culture has divided the college football world. Players leave for a bigger paycheck before they can even settle their feet into a program. The volatile dynamic of the roster is scary to introspect in the long run. Nico Iamaleava, the most outstanding member of the portal cluster, made an unprecedented move. He held out during the spring practice to force Tennessee to give him a bigger contract. The program didn’t budge. He has hit the portal. The situation around the rest of the FBS houses doesn’t differ much. UNC, the revamped franchise under Bill Belichick, is also suffering from the same scars. The Tar Heels’ spring portal looked like a rack!
Bill Belichick has been one of the most (if not the most) appealing off-season entities to watch out for. The former Patriots manager garnered many doubts and sneers from the veterans, fans, and fellow peers. But nothing could divert him from his goal. It’s simple. Take up the UNC football and make it a mini-NFL model. He brilliantly adapted to the nuances of college football in the last few months. He graced the roster with 21 players back in the winter portal. Some key recruits include names like DL Austin Alexander, RB Jariel Cobb, and Miles McVay. The GOAT also had a solid strategy to make a championship recipe out of his resources. However, as spring approached, the situation deteriorated.
Since the portal is opened, Belichick has been tussling with his team. He lost some and nabbed some in a blur of movement. Coming to the losses, QB Ryan Browne, WR Christian Hamilton, K Adam Samaha, and many more have already announced their departure. Beau Atkinson, the key defensive lineman with 7.5 sacks, also joined the crowd in a surprising move.
“I thought that it was not a good sign for two reasons, number one, that he was a very productive, good player…I will offer you my own bias here. Beau Atkinson was a very classic traditional University of North Carolina football player as an in-state kid who wanted to be at North Carolina,” said Chip Patterson of the Cover 3 podcast. “He was like in the Kenan-Flagler business school like an upstanding member of the campus community. It seemed like the old guard, Beau Atkinson, is your all-ACC player who’s part of, you know, that tradition of North Carolina football players.”
Atkinson recorded a team-high 7.5 sacks in 2024, capping off the season with 35 tackles and 12 tackles-for-loss. His 7.5 sacks were tied for fifth in the ACC. Atkinson’s absolute banger dates back to November 11 in Tallahassee, when he tallied 3.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles-for-loss in an overwhelming win over Florida State.
“For him to walk means either he’s commanding a number that North Carolina doesn’t want to match or that he doesn’t want to be a part of the next regime. So, a little disappointing loss,” Patterson took it as a sign of the Tar Heels’ jeopardy.
Losing your veterans is bad, but imagine losing a guy you just had swoop into your room. It denotes clear loopholes in the roster retention to some extent.
Bill Belichick lost a true freshman DL in the portal
According to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, true freshman defensive tackle Terry Nwabuisi-Ezeala announced his departure right after the spring in Chapel Hill. He will have four years of eligibility left on the board. Nwabuisi-Ezeala, the No. 1565 overall prospect and No. 170 defensive lineman in the 2025 class, started to show up in practice as an early enrollee for the team.
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