After being installed as head coach in December, Bill Belichick has gone to work recruiting players out of the transfer portal to join Carolina for the upcoming season. Here’s a list of all the players who have signed on so far, with newest additions at the top of the page:
WR Aziah Johnson – Michigan State
The first pass-catcher landed by Belichick’s staff in the transfer portal, Aziah Johnson will come to Carolina with three years of eligibility after two years at Michigan State. During his red-shirt freshman season with the Spartans, he had 16 receptions for 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns across five games — largely playing behind other wide receiver options. Johnson is a name that may sound familiar to those who follow UNC’s recruiting efforts, as Mack Brown’s regime was his first collegiate scholarship offer coming out of Richmond, VA a few years ago, according to Inside Carolina. On3 Sports first broke the news of Johnson’s commitment to UNC.
OL Chad Lindberg – Rice
Image via Rice Athletics/Shane Banegas
UNC will be Chad Lindberg’s third collegiate stop. He began his career as a highly-touted recruit at Georgia, where he spent four seasons but only played 20 total games. He then transferred to Rice for the 2024 season, where he started 11 games for the Owls at both left tackle and left guard. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
QB Ryan Browne – Purdue
Image via Purdue Athletics
A redshirt freshman, Browne appeared in nine games across two seasons for the Boilermakers. His most productive outing came against Illinois this past fall, when he threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in a 50-49 loss. It was the highlight of an otherwise miserable season for the Boilermakers, who finished 1-11. Browne played in just eight games. Now, he will join UNC with three years of eligibility remaining.
OL Miles McVay – Alabama
A highly-coveted prospect coming out of high school, McVay was rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 192 overall player in the class of 2023 by 247 Sports. McVay committed to Alabama over offers from several other schools, including Oregon and Texas A&M. He appeared in five games in his redshirt freshman season with the Crimson Tide and will have three years of eligibility remaining with UNC.
DL C.J. Mims – East Carolina
Mims’ commitment to Carolina on December 19 ended a transfer portal odyssey for the redshirt sophomore from Vanceboro, N.C. After entering the portal out of East Carolina, Mims originally committed to Wake Forest. But once Demon Deacons head coach Dave Clawson resigned on December 16, Mims re-entered the portal. A few days later, Bill Belichick and UNC secured his commitment. Mims will have two years of eligibility remaining in Chapel Hill.
K Adam Samaha – Michigan
Image via Michigan Athletics
Originally from Ypsilanti, MI, Samaha spent two years with Michigan. He appeared in one game as a freshman, kicking an extra point in a win against Indiana. Samaha didn’t appear in any games as a sophomore in 2024 but did earn Academic All-Big Ten honors.
After committing and signing, Samaha shared a childhood photo of himself at the Dean Smith Center:
TE Connor Cox – South Carolina
Cox spent the first two seasons of his career with South Carolina and played sparingly, though he sat out most of the 2024 season to preserve a redshirt and another year of eligibility. Thus, Cox will come to UNC with three years of eligibility remaining. Cox has connections to the Triangle, having begun his high school career at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh.
DL Melkart Abou-Jaoude – Delaware
Image via Delaware Athletics
A former walk-on, Abou-Jaoude had the best season of his collegiate career for the Blue Hens in 2024. The junior from New Jersey finished with 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 11 games for a 9-2 Delaware team. He earned All-CAA honorable mention honors. Now, Abou-Jaoude is joining Carolina with two years of eligibility remaining.
OL Christo Kelly – Holy Cross
Image via Holy Cross Athletics
A multi-year starter at the FCS level, Kelly comes to Carolina after five seasons at Holy Cross. The Crusaders won at least a share of the Patriot League title in all five of Kelly’s years with the team and reached the FCS quarterfinals in his junior season in 2022. Kelly started his final 23 games with the team and earned a first team All-Patriot League selection in 2024. He was also a team captain. Mainly a center, Kelly anchored an offensive line which allowed just 1.08 sacks per game, best in the conference. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
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