The Wild Wild West (better known as the transfer portal) is set to officially open for business on Friday, January 2.
Thousands of student-athletes will be looking for new homes, while college football programs across the country aim to replace lost talent with some veteran depth pieces.
Bill Belichick and the UNC football program have quite a few holes to fill over the next few weeks. While the Tar Heels haven't lost many key contributors to the transfer portal, one player's departure is a significant loss for Steve Belichick's defensive unit.
The UNC football program must find a way to replace this budding star along the defensive line.
Tyler Thompson among the top EDGE rushers in the transfer portal
Saturday Blitz has been posting positional rankings ahead of the transfer portal window opening. Tyler Thompson ranks among the top EDGE rushers available, as it's expected that the now former Tar Heel will draw plenty of interest from teams looking for help with regard to pressuring the quarterback.
Thompson currently ranks as the No. 7 overall EDGE available. Here's what Josh Yourish of FanSided had to say about the former UNC football standout:
A bit stiff as a stand-up rusher, Thompson can struggle to convert speed to power, and at times will get stonewalled by larger offensive tackles. Still, he offsets those deficiencies with a fairly deep repertoire of pass-rush moves, and he makes quite an impact in the run game, despite being a bit light in the pants at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds.
Thompson's emergence
During the 2025 season, Thompson had a breakout season. He emerged as an elite pass rusher, creating a dynamic duo with Melkart Abou-Jaoude. Thompson was fourth in the ACC with seven sacks and earned the highest PFF Grade among UNC defensive players.
The hope was that he would stick around to continue building on the success that he and Melkart Abou-Jaoude created, but now his departure leaves North Carolina in need of filling the void.
While making a big splash here would make sense...
Yes, we would all love to see North Carolina go out and add one of the other top edges that are available in the transfer portal.
However, based on what we saw a season ago, it seems like the UNC football program strategically is going to bring guys in, not being shy to take a flier on guys who may be flying under the radar.
Abou-Jaoude is a perfect example of that from a year ago.
They may surprise us and make a big splash at this position, but it's much more likely that they elect to add depth pieces they believe they can develop into significant role players. The incoming freshman class will also have a say, given this loaded class features some talent that should be ready to play early on in their college careers.