UNC Football: Tar Heels in prime position to add defensive star?

Is the UNC football program in prime position to sign star defensive player and Temple transfer Quincy Roche?

Temple University junior defensive end Quincy Roche entered the NCAA transfer portal last week, and the North Carolina Tar Heels are rumored to be a top contender to land the 2019 AAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Roche, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound edge rusher out of Randallstown, Maryland, played as a redshirt junior this season. He’ll use his final year of eligibility next season as a graduate transfer. He finished the season with 49 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, five passes defended, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

He’s compiled 137 tackles over the past three seasons — 102 of those solo tackles — 39.5 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, six passes defended, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. He’s recorded no less than six sacks and nine tackles for loss in each of his three seasons. With his current trajectory, and barring serious injury or a steep decline in production, he stands to be a fairly high selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Roche would be a welcomed addition to a UNC defense that has had trouble getting to the quarterback and stopping the run. He’d also work well alongside soon-to-be senior linebacker and Tar Heels leading tackler Chazz Surratt, who announced on Monday afternoon that he’d be returning to North Carolina next fall for his senior season.

A number of current and future UNC players have been reaching out to Roche since he announced he’d have a new home next season. There’s been a lot of recent speculation that the Tar Heels are in prime position to land the talented lineman.

For all the latest on Quincy Roche and everything UNC football, check back with Keeping It Heel.