Even before the UNC football program went through an entire coaching staff change, it was well-known that the Tar Heels were in desperate need of some defensive line depth moving forward.
With six defensive linemen exhausting their eligibility, there's a gaping hole that needs to be addressed. Bill Belichick and the UNC football took a step toward doing that on Tuesday as they earned a commitment from Delaware transfer Melkart Abou Jaoude.
Committed. @ShaneBurnham52 @AscensionSport1 @ASCRISECoach pic.twitter.com/OHaqeFFNXR
— Melkart Abou Jaoude (@Melkartaj) December 17, 2024
The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder took a visit to North Carolina on Friday and took just a few days before deciding to continue his collegiate career in Chapel Hill. Upon his arrival, he'll have two years of eligibility to work with.
A native of Newton, New Jersey, native is coming off a career-year. As a junior, the best season of his college career as a junior, Melkart Abou Jaoude recorded 24 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss to go along with 6.5 sacks over 11 starts. After beginning his career as a walk-on, he worked his way up to being a highly-sought after transfer portal prospect.
Now, Melkart Abou Jaoude is the second transfer portal commit of the early Bill Belichick era and the first from the defensive side of the ball. The hope is that he can play an integral part in re-shaping the UNC football program's defensive line, a unit that will be vital for the Tar Heels to get right this offseason.