UNC and Bill Belichick dealt a transfer hit on defense that no one saw coming

There were a handful of players from the 2025 roster who were coined as "must keep" guys, a list that isn't very long but featured some key contributors who have eligibility remaining.

Tyler Thompson was one of those guys, as the EDGE rusher is coming off an insane season for the UNC football program.

Unfortunately, North Carolina couldn't find a way to keep him in town, as Hayes Fawcett reported that Thompson plans to enter the transfer portal.

A huge blow for UNC's defensive unit

Thompson emerged as an elite pass rusher, creating a dynamic duo with Melkart Abou-Jaoude. Thompson was fourth in the ACC with sacks (7) and collected the highest PFF Grade among UNC defensive players (85.0).

As Abou-Jaoude has eligibility remaining as well, the hope was that North Carolina could retain both players to help lead the defensive line unit for the 2026 season. Unfortunately, the Tar Heels will have to replace at least one of these guys, as Thompson appears to be on his way out of town.

Now, it will be even more vital that the Tar Heels find a way to convince Abou-Jaoude to stay.

Transfer Portal Update

While close to 20 players from last year's team have stated their intention to enter the transfer portal, Thompson is one of the significant losses among the group.

Thompson, along with linebacker Khmori House, are the two guys you point to as major subtractions, especially given how the UNC football program's defensive unit started to progress a bit during the 2025 season. Having the likes of Thompson and House would've been a huge step in the right direction as Bill Belichick and his staff look to build the defensive unit for 2026 and beyond.

In case you haven't been keeping up with the latest UNC football news, check out our transfer portal tracker here.