Football Portal Search Is Well Underway, Beginning at QB
CHAPEL HILL – Like everyone else in college football, North Carolina has needs that can be met through the transfer portal, which formally opened Tuesday morning.
And like everyone else, the Tar Heels are in pursuit of players that can fill voids on the current roster, some of which may grow wider if more UNC players enter the portal, which closes April 30.
“If they can upgrade our team, we would do that because we’ve got a number of spots that we can fill,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said Wednesday at the Kenan Football Center. “As is the case with everybody else, we’re looking at the portal every day to see who goes in.”
Brown noted the main positions the staff in looking to enhance, beginning with quarterback, a move prompted by redshirt freshman Tad Hudson entering the transfer portal earlier this week. The staff discussed at length the best approach in finding a replacement, given the task is more unique there than other positions.
True freshman and early enrollee Mike Merdinger passed Hudson into the third-string quarterback spot and did nothing but gain separation throughout spring practice, which ends Saturday with Carolina’s spring game.
But Hudson’s departure also leaves the Tar Heels with only three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster. And that simply isn’t close to idea.
“You’ve got to have four quarterbacks, number one,” Brown said. “So, we need another one. And then you’ve got to see who’s available, you’ve got two competing for a starting job. It gets confusing if somebody wants to come in and be the starter, do you want a young one that’s going to have a chance to grow and start?
“Usually, if a guy is leaving it’s because he’s not starting. So, it’s not an easy task to find somebody. That’s one of the things we’re saying, ‘we’re looking, so if you’re looking, call us.’”
Brown acknowledged they are going into this search open-ended. Whoever is out there that shows interest, they will talk with them and go from there.
Also into the portal formally this week are offensive lineman DJ Geth, defensive back Ayden Duncanson, and veteran cornerback Lejond Covazos.
Brown has maintained all spring the defensive line needs more depth, so the staff is looking for help there. In addition, he said running back is a position of need. Only three backs are currently healthy, as Caleb Hood continues dealing with injury issues, and redshirt freshman Jordan Louie has also been out. Neither will play Saturday.
“Running back can get depleted very quickly,” Brown said. “We’ve got three; Caleb and Jordan have been hurt. So, they’re not available right now… We’ve got to look hard making sure we’ve got four running backs.”
He also said their eyes are open in case the right defensive back, linebacker or offensive lineman enters. Two offensive linemen from the portal arrive next month, as Jakiah Leftwich and Zach Greenberg committed but are finishing spring semesters at their current schools.
Quarterback, however, was the bomb Brown dropped Wednesday. It isn’t a surprise since Hudson is gone, but the open-endedness of what Brown said combined with the challenges of getting anyone who is leaving a reserve role to accept another one.
“You just have to be honest and say, ‘the two guys are doing well. So, you would have to come in and compete for the job,’” Brown explained. “But it’s going to be hard because it’s hard to coach three quarterbacks in the fall when you’ve got limited amount of time.”
Overall, if the desire is to land some impact players from the portal, Carolina’s money situation comes into play. The better prospects cost money, plain and simple, and Brown has navigated those waters carefully because the collective isn’t competitive with some of the more prominent programs.
“We’ve made a lot of progress on our collective, (but) we’re still not where we need to be,” he said. “We still need people to give to the collective. And I’m working as much to try to build up the collective as I am coach, right now, very honestly. Because it’s very, very important moving forward.”
As is finding some players in the portal to fill immediate needs. And UNC is deep into that quest.