3 UNC football players who have been pleasant surprises early this season

The UNC football program ended the first month of the regular season with a crushing loss to Clemson, but it shouldn't take away from the early season success for Bill Belichick's team.

North Carolina heads into its October 3rd contest against Notre Dame as heavy underdogs. However, many Tar Heel fans would've signed up for a 2-1 start to the season had that been offered prior to the season opener in Ireland.

Sure, UNC is very much a work in progress, and the schedule will only get tougher from here. Before we get there, it's worth highlighting three players who have been pleasant surprises for UNC in the first month of the 2026 season.

Benjamin Hall: UNC's workhorse in the backfield

Before the season, no one really knew how UNC's running back room would shape up.

Sure, Demon June showed promise as a true freshman, but it always felt like there was room for any of the talented backs to take over as the primary running back.

Insert Benjamin Hall, the workhorse of this talented unit.

A season ago (his first as a Tar Heel), Hall logged 71 carries for 274. Through three games, Hall has 33 carries but has already surpassed his rushing total from a season ago, with 215 yards this season.

Not only is Hall just 59 yards away from setting a new career-high in single-season rushing yards, but he's also on pace to shatter his previous mark.

Hall's success hasn't translated into rushing touchdowns (given that June has been the red-zone running back), but his presence in both the running and passing games has been huge for UNC. It's safe to say we'll see a lot more of Hall moving forward as he continues to prove he can handle a heavy workload for this offensive unit.

Xavier Lewis: a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks

For a guy who had no stars coming out of high school, it's insane to see how dominant Xavier Lewis has become for the UNC football program.

Not only has he been UNC's best defensive player, he's been the country's best defensive tackle through the first four weeks of the regular season.

Yes, we said what we said!

North Carolina's defense has been really good through the first three games, and Lewis deserves a lot of credit for anchoring this unit. Especially without Melkart Abou-Jaoude, last year's breakout star along the defensive line, for two of the three games, Lewis still continues to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, already having six sacks to his name.

There's no doubt that quarterbacks dread seeing Lewis heading their way!

Greg Smith III: the playmaker UNC needs in the secondary

We saw flashes of how good Greg Smith III could be a season ago, but now the sophomore defensive back is putting it all together.

Smith already has two interceptions to his name and, quite frankly, could've had another if not for a penalty against his team. He's been playing safety at an elite level, serving as a center fielder with a knack for finding the football and making plays.

His most recent performance against Clemson shows just how good he's been this season.

Smith III is exactly what this Tar Heels defense needs. While the talk centers on the defensive line's stellar play, don't overlook Smith III, who has been outstanding in his role.

When you discuss UNC's early-season success, you can't forget the trio of Hall, Lewis, and Smith III. Without their production, you can easily make the case that North Carolina wouldn't be 2-1 at this point in the season.

Now, the hope is that the production from all three continues as conference play rolls along.

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