Editor's Note: The current THI staff formally concludes its time here on this site Monday at midnight.

Goodbye doesn’t always mean forever.

It can be temporary, a respite, a recalibration, and even a detour. And it can be eternal.

As I sit here writing this, I am somewhat lost for words, which may come as a surprise to anyone who has listened to my many verbose spewings on our podcasts here at Tar Heel Illustrated or my thousands of appearances on radio shows.

(At least the TV people I’ve worked with kept me in check)

This is the last content item I will prepare for Tar Heel Illustrated. My 11-year run will soon be over at midnight Monday. I will meander off with THI in the rearview mirror as a thing of the past. And it was a helluva run.

We soared to one of the top media outlets covering North Carolina football, basketball, and recruiting. And we did it the right way, always exercising journalistic integrity, discerning information with clarity, and never ever burning a source. There’s a reason we’re well respected, and I take tremendous pride in that.

But my time at THI is about so much more. It’s about the staff I’ve had through the years. It hasn’t always worked out with some, but I’ve been so blessed to have some outstanding people and journalists on my team.

You guys know who you are, each uniquely talented in your own ways. Deana King can read football recruiting tea leaves better than anyone. Jacob Turner’s growth on-air and loyalty has been one of the key components that has elevated THI to the true upper tier.

David Sisk is the best in the business period. He replaced Clint Jackson who was integral in me taking over at THI. He could scout a player so well, was reliable, and also was huge in those early years as I got a handle running a niche site after working for a daily newspaper and being regional/national previusly in my career.

Kevin Roy is a trusted friend who cares deeply about THI. He’s also a tough little nut, as Roy Williams might call him, as Kevin has recently kicked cancer’s ass!

Bryant Baucum in recent years, the drive to Atlanta with Brandon Peay, the top-notch game capsules from John Gwaltney, Jarrod Hardy’s contributions, Lee Wardlaw, Bruce Young (“The Man of Many Talents”) firing up the masses, the artistry of Jenna Miller and I-85, and many others who helped make THI a force in the UNC market.

Thank you to all of you for your role in our success.

But it’s also about you, the reader. The listener. The viewer.

Without you guys, THI would never have amounted to much. The premium subscribers on our site have meant so much to me over the years and increasingly so in recent years. The quality of discourse gave our board something few other sites have in any market.

Newcomers often DM’d me in amazement by the quality of the discourse from respect to how informed the posters are in our community. The appreciation so often expressed for our work, trusting us with everything we reported, and also understanding if we weren’t first on something it simply meant we were vetting.

You guys spent hard-earned money to have access to all things THI and keep us afloat, and for that I am forever grateful.

But, as I said, goodbye doesn’t mean so long forever. As I noted in the column about my stepping away, I am not done in this industry. There’s a ton of tread remaining on these tires. I still want to grind but I just needed something that allows more life balance.

It was never about retirement; it was about being more of a present dad and husband. That’s it.

So, stay tuned. I expect to announce something over the next month. From now, while our website will transition into a new network, we will still produce some content on our Facebook page, plus Twitter/X, Instagram, and Jacob and I plan on doing Daily Drops in July.

Goodbye to Tar Heel Illustrated. Goodbye to Rivals. Thank you for having me along for the ride.

And goodbye to all of you, for now, anyway