It's no secret that the UNC football program has some holes to fill when the transfer portal officially opens up on January 2.
Between losing players due to graduation, along with the players who have already announced their intention to leave North Carolina via the transfer portal, there are plenty of positions that the Tar Heels aim to improve upon over the next few weeks.
When the transfer portal officially opens for business, here are the five positions the UNC football program should prioritize on its transfer portal wishlist. Of course, we could list the entire roster, but these are the ones they should focus on most.
Quarterback
Let's just start with the obvious one here.
While Gio Lopez is expected to return, there's no way the UNC football program could go into next season with its current quarterback room. Highly-touted freshman Bryce Baker is heading for the transfer portal, and so is Max Johnson (who will be vying for an additional season of eligibility), leaving Lopez and Au'Tori Newkirk (along with incoming true freshman Travis Burgess) as the lone options to compete for the job.
The Tar Heels desperately need to bring in a veteran quarterback who can not only compete for the starting gig, but can help the UNC football program's offense improve after last season's awful display.
Wide Receiver
Kobe Paysour has exhausted his eligibility. Chris Culliver is heading out of town, the headliner of the most heavily hit position thus far in terms of transfer portal entrants.
Jordan Shipp has said he plans to be back (if not, UNC is in BIG trouble). Even with Shipp, the Tar Heels need to bring in multiple wide receivers to help fill the voids on the depth chart, providing whoever the starting quarterback is with options to work with.
Offensive Line
Similar to a year ago, expect a heavy, heavy emphasis on bringing in veteran offensive lineman via the transfer portal.
Of the 3,551 possible offensive line snaps during the 2025 season, the UNC football program is set to lose players who ate up 3,150 of those snaps.
The Tar Heels utilized plenty of offensive linemen a season ago, as eight different guys recorded at least 100 snaps. Most of the lost talent at this position stems from exhausted eligibility, but the UNC football program has also lost some contributors via the portal.
Linebacker
The UNC football program once again has to replace it's starting linebacker unit, a trend that seems to happen annually.
North Carolina did a nice job of replacing Amare Campbell and Power Echols with Khmori House and Andrew Simpson, both of whom played a significant role on the defensive side of the football.
However, Simpson was a temporary fix, given he had one year of eligibility remaining, and House ran out of Chapel Hill following his lone season on campus as he now looks for another destination elsewhere.
Maybe the UNC football program can secure some transfer commitments that can help plug the void (preferably for more than just one season!).
Secondary
Losing Thaddeus Dixon due to exhausted eligibility is a significant loss, and multi-year starter Marcus Allen is also heading out of Chapel Hill (which is a good thing considering how he never truly lived up to the hype that surrounded him).
Adding a few veterans to help plug the position would be beneficial as the Tar Heels look to reload in the secondary.