UNC Football set to lose star EDGE Beau Atkinson to the transfer portal

The spring transfer portal window is set to open on Wednesday, as it's expected that numerous college football players across the country will look for opportunities elsewhere.

North Carolina has already been impacted: reports surfaced that star EDGE Beau Atkinson plans on entering his name into the portal.

Atkinson is coming off a breakout sophomore season, a year in which he recorded 7.5 sacks. Of those sacks, 6.5 came over the Tar Heels final six games of the season. Essentially, he became an unstoppable force on North Carolina's pass rush.

Over his two seasons in Chapel Hill, Atkinson recorded 54 total tackles (16.5 for loss). He sacked the quarterback on 11 separate occasions and also forced a fumble.

With Kaimon Rucker exhausting his college eligibility, along with Atkinson's decision to enter the transfer portal, the UNC football program has now lost each of its top two sack producers. Expect the UNC football program's staff to examine potential transfer options to fill the huge void that Atkinson's departure will be leaving.

Atkinson should be highly sought-after on the transfer portal market, as he'll instantly become one of the top defensive players available. With the way college athletics currently operates, don't be surprised if programs have already come knocking on his door (before the announcement even surfaced), as he is a player who could be a major addition to a roster that has intentions of competing for a spot in the College Football Playoffs this season.

While Atkinson is the first name we know of that plans on entering the transfer portal, he likely isn't the last. With the way college athletics is in this day and age, these things tend to be the new "norm," leaving everyone to have the mindset to expect the unexpected.

This is a huge loss for North Carolina, one that will certainly have ramifications on how the Tar Heels go about pursuing potential options who could help fill this now major void they have.