Christo Kelly, Gr., OL

6-foot-4, 305 pounds

Bill Belichick’s first transfer portal may have been the program’s most unique personnel acquisition since the legendary coach took over North Carolina Football last December.

From FCS member Holy Cross, Christo Kelly was the first player in the portal to commit to Belichick, doing it on the spot during a visit before Christmas. And with it, he made a massive transition in his life jumping into an experience he previously couldn’t imagine.

Kelly is a football junkie but he isn’t exactly “Joe Football.” There are nuances to him that aren’t common among gridiron dudes.

“Economics major, dance minor, football player,” Kelly said in an interview with the school’s official website describing who he was at Holy Cross. “You've got to well round yourself.”

The dance stuff is 100 percent true. Christo Kelly isn’t just a highly efficient offensive lineman but he is an adept dancer with multiple moves. He has trained in Broadway dance, break dancing, hip hop, and dance composition performances.

And he even won a dance contest during a timeout of a women’s basketball game for his Irish dance routine.

In addition to that, he is “Joe Well Rounded.” Kelly was president of the Holy Cross Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, was named one of 22 college football players nationally last year to the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team. And he was on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll from 2020-2024.

He’s also a football player. He’s a football player that Bill Belichick wanted, and as it turned out, Kelly wanted Belichick and the Tar Heels. And after a semester at UNC, including a spring practice, Kelly’s obvious high personal standard fits in with the program.

“He (Belichick) coaches everybody the same, he holds everybody to the same standard no matter who you are,” Christo told The Spire, Holy Cross’ student newspaper in late April. “The standard’s the standard. If you’re not doing it right, you’re not doing it right.”

Carolina fans will get a chance to see if Kelly can get it right on the field this fall and perhaps flash a dance move or two, as well.

As we are doing all spring and summer, here is a dive into Kelly’s numbers:

2024 Stats:

*12 games, 778 snaps (777 center, 1 left guard), 373 pass blocking snaps, 0 sacks allowed, 0 QB hits allowed, 3 hurries allowed, 99.6 efficiency.

Career Stats:

*39 games, 1,534 snaps (mostly at center), 666 pass blocking snaps, 0 sacks allowed, 2 QB hits allowed, 8 hurries allowed, efficiency 98.9.

2025 Outlook:

Kelly was so efficient at Holy Cross that he was going to get a good shot at winning a job in the spring. It appeared in the spring event on April 12 that he was number one on the depth chart at center with Austin Blaske moved over to guard. If so, gauging how someone goes from the Patriot League to the ACC will be interesting. But his near-perfect play with the Crusaders and that he was with the ones in April suggests Kelly will have a significant role on the o-line this fall.