Transfer offensive lineman switches commitment to UNC football program

Earlier this week, the UNC football program lost yet another offensive lineman, as Diego Pounds elected to enter the transfer portal.

With only one key contributor at this position returning, Mack Brown and the UNC football program have a lot of work to do in order to re-shape this positional group.

On Sunday afternoon, the Tar Heels took a positive step in terms of accomplishing that goal.

After originally committing to TCU, North Texas transfer Howard Sampson has flipped his commitment to North Carolina. The 6-foot-7, 325-pound lineman will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Sampson made an official visit to Chapel Hill back on December 8, as it looked as if the UNC football program was in a prime spot to land the transfer. However, Sampson made his commitment to TCU, leaving the Tar Heels looking for other options.

A big reason why the UNC football program recruited Sampson was current offensive line coach Randy Clements. While working at North Texas, Clements played a big role in recruiting Sampson out of high school and spent one season as his position coach as well.

On the surface, this might not look like a big move, given Sampson's lack of playing time so far in his collegiate career. However, this is a move that could be beneficial for North Carolina in the long term, as the hope is that the Tar Heels can develop him into a player that can become a staple among the team's offensive front.

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