In October of 2025, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a big change to the college football transfer portal, moving to just one open window in January, rather than two in December and April. This was a huge change that many college coaches and athletic directors believed was for the best.
Teams were seeing players leave after spring ball, or even demanding more money after getting a big payday in December. However, for the case of Bill Belichick and UNC, players leaving after spring football is still a problem.
Af confirmed by UNC Athletics, Belichick lost not just one, but two players after spring football practices and the spring game. Both players left the program of their own choice, as confirmed by a team spokesperson on Tuesday.
Losing players after spring ball has to feel like a bad omen for UNC fans
Wide receiver Shenard Clower and defensive back Ty Adams are no longer with the Tar Heels, not appearing on the 2026 roster anymore. Both were former three-star recruits out of high school, but were Mack Brown recruits, not ones brought in by Belichick.
Clower spent his freshman season with UNC and was preparing for his sophomore season before deciding to leave the program. He did see nine games as a true freshman and even started three of them. He had a total of 12 catches for 98 yards, but he never saw the endzone. Those aren't bad numbers for a UNC offense that struggled to find the endzone throughout the season.
Adams was on the other side of the ball for UNC and was heading into his redshirt junior season before choosing to leave the Tar Heels. Unlike Clower, Adams didn't appear in as many games, only six, and never started, but did appear in 10 games as a freshman in 2024.
While these may not be major losses for Belichick, it just feels like another installment of things going wrong for the former NFL Super Bowl-winning head coach. Ever since Belichick put on the Tar Heel blue, it has felt more like a circus than a football team.
Belichick will be entering his second season with UNC this fall, with the Tar Heels kicking off their season in Ireland against TCU on August 29. There is hope for a better season than year one under the former Patriots head coach, but fans are probably just hoping for at least less drama than anything else.
Add us as a preferred source on Google