While the 2025 season didn't go as planned for Bill Belichick and the UNC football program, there were some brightspots that emerged in Chapel Hill.
Arguably the biggest brightspot that rose to stardom was defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude. A transfer from Delaware, Abou Jaoude burst onto the scene in his first season as a Tar Heel, becoming a force in the backfield.
In fact, he was a nightmare for opposing offensive lines, making it a habit of sacking the quarterback. He finished the season with 10.5 sacks in 12 games, earning second-team All-ACC honors for his efforts. Fortunately, UNC was able to retain the Newton, New Jersey native this offseason. The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder is a strong piece to build the defensive line around for this upcoming season.
While no one expected many UNC football players to earn preseason accolades, Abou Jaoude was the guy that everyone agreed was deserving of some recognition. However, the media didn't agree with Tar Heel faithful on this one, snubbing him of some notable preseason accolades.
Melkart Abou Jaoude disrespected by the media ahead of the 2026 season
For the second year in a row, no UNC football players made the preseason All-ACC team. Not even Abou Jaoude, who was one of the most dominant pass rushers in the conference a season ago.
No UNC or NC State players on preseason All-ACC team. Duke TE Jeremiah Hasley is on first-team. NC State QB CJ Bailey is No. 4 in preseason player of the year. Former Duke QB Darian Mensah, now at Miami, is first-team QB and preseason player of the year. pic.twitter.com/pYX5aHznMk
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) July 29, 2026
You might be wondering: who was picked ahead of him? Well the answers are Will Heidt of Clemson and Clev Lubin of Louisville.
Now, before you get it twisted: both Heidt and Lubin are good football players and are deserving of the recognition. However, neither was better than Abou Jaoude a year ago (evidenced by the fact that they were both third-team All-ACC selections compared to Abou Jaoude's second-team nomination).
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It's important to also factor in the media bias ahead of the 2026 season. Both Clemson and Louisville are projected to be competitors in the ACC while the Tar Heels... well... are expected to finish in the bottom half of the conference.
While that does play a factor, it shouldn't take away from a really good football player who decided to stay loyal to the program who took a chance on him.
Let's face it: some of the best Tar Heels got snubbed due to these varying factors. Jordan Shipp is one of the most talented wide receivers the conference has to offer, but he doesn't appear on this list either. Is it due to the question marks surrounding who is actually going to be throwing him the football this season?
Preseason polls, rankings and accolades are just that. They are a "look ahead" to the upcoming season, as media members try to be the smartest people in the room with their voting process.
However, the media who played a role in the selection of the 2026 preseason All-ACC team are going to look really dumb when Melkart Abou Jaoude does his thing again, earning postseason accolades for being one of the best pass rushers that the country has to offer.
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