A pair of Tar Heel defenders start the 2026 season by earning ACC weekly honors

Defense was the story for North Carolina in their Week 0 victory over TCU.

The Tar Heels defense was dominant, especially over the final three quarters of play, allowing just 10 total points (all of which were scored in the first quarter).

While it was a team effort on the defensive side of the ball, a pair of Tar Heels stood out individually, earning weekly honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Xavier Lewis and Derek McDonald earn weekly ACC accolades

Following Week 0 action, the ACC revealed its first weekly honors for the 2026 college football season. Both Xavier Lewis and Derek McDonald represent the UNC football program among this week's honorees.

Lewis put the country on notice with his dominant outing along UNC's defensive line. He recorded seven tackles (4.5 for loss) to go along with two sacks. He made two major plays in this game, one that forced an intentional grounding call in the third quarter and was in on the action when UNC made a stop on fourth down and one from the five yard line.

That effort, in his first collegiate start, earned Lewis the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honor.

In his first game as a Tar Heel, McDonald was outstanding at the linebacker position. He recorded 11 tackles, not only a game-high but a career-high for the veteran transfer from Syracuse. He made his mark felt throughout the game, anchoring the linebacker core during this outstanding team effort on the defensive side of the ball.

McDonald's great first impression with his new team earned him ACC Linebacker of the Week accolades.

Both individuals are expected to play major roles for this year's UNC football team, and their efforts in the Week 0 victory over TCU go to show that. While Lewis' performance was more of a breakout game for the sophomore defensive lineman who was not ranked coming out of high school, McDonald was a highly-touted transfer addition that has the reputation of success (most notably at the ACC level), making his big-time outing less of a surprise.

Nonetheless, Tar Heel fans are extremely hopeful that this won't be the last time these Tar Heels appear on the weekly ACC honors list.

Bill Belichick provides some great insight following UNC's victory over TCU

You have to be encouraged by the effort UNC put together on Saturday afternoon, a gritty performance that was highlighted by the success of the Bill Belichick-led defensive unit. The defense made life difficult for TCU's offense throughout and made some timely adjustments to essentially shut out the Horned Frogs' offensive attack for the final three quarters of the game.

When you win and put together a team effort like UNC's defense did, it isn't surprising to see some individuals earning the proper recognition they deserve. Both Xavier Lewis and Derek McDonald are very deserving of their respective honors, giving us an early glimpse of what we can expect moving forward this upcoming season.

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