The rumors are swirling, the buyout discussions have been ongoing, and the locker room is complete chaos right now in North Carolina.
Bill Belichick's stint with the UNC football program is progressing toward being just that: a short-lived nightmarish situation. While there's still plenty to be sorted out, it's never too early to start thinking about what current players could be heading to (or back to) the transfer portal at some point, either immediately after any changes occur or during the offseason.
With that in mind, we came up with five current UNC football standouts who could definitely pursue opportunities elsewhere. When coming up with this list, we considered student-athletes based on the following:
-Role with the current UNC football squad
-How much eligibility do they have left?
-Does it makes sense for them to stick around?
Considering those factors, here are five UNC football players who could end up in the transfer portal if Belichick does, in fact, depart Chapel Hill mid-season:
Jordan Shipp
Jordan Shipp was one of the lone returners from the Mack Brown era. He is a guy that truly loves North Carolina and has developed into the team's top wide receiver.
Sure, the Charlotte, North Carolina native elected to stay put last offseason, but the scenario is much different now heading up to yet another potential coaching change.
Shipp will be entering into his junior season, a big year in terms of his NFL Draft stock. We saw guys like Beau Atkinson and Amare Campbell depart campus last season ahead of their junior campaigns, finding homes with teams who have/had College Football Playoff aspirations.
A dynamic playmaker who could be a very valuable resource for a contending team, would it make sense for Shipp to stick around and hope that things positively change quickly in Chapel Hill?
While no one is leading him to the door, we'd all understand if he took a closer look at other options available to him.
Khmori House
Khmori House followed Steve Belichick to Chapel Hill. Who's to say that he'll stick around if the Tar Heels defensive coordinator follows his father out the door?
House is a dynamic playmaker on the defensive side of the ball and would be a highly-sought after transfer candidate. If Steve Belichick latches on elsewhere, it wouldn't surprise anyone to see him follow him once again, as that connection seems to be strong (unless this locker room chaos has caused a rift between them somehow).
Demon June/Davion Gause
While they count as separate players, we're combining them for this section given they share the same positional group.
Demon June would be a HUGE loss for the UNC football program, as he's shown some great flashes during his true freshman season. While he's a guy you'd love to keep and build around, top-tier programs would love to get their hands on a big-bodied running back like June who can gain yards in a variety of ways.
After Omarion Hampton departed for the NFL, Davion Gause was expected to be the Tar Heels' starting runningback.
However, Gause got buried on the depth chart, as he's clearly a candidate who could benefit from a change of scenery.
Bryce Baker
Among the current freshman class, losing Bryce Baker would easily be the biggest blow that the program could face.
A highly-touted four-star recruit, Baker is in the midst of what looks to be a red shirt season. Let's remember: Baker committed to Mack Brown and essentially re-evaluated his options before he doubled-down on his commitment when Bill Belichick rolled into town.
Penn State was heavily in on Baker and could make a strong push to land him if he does elect to transfer, as he might just be the guy James Franklin aims to build around for the long haul.