UNC Football: Cover Four: Four Signs of Progress to Watch in Ireland
For just a minute, hear me out. Let’s forget about 2025 and just look at the present. When UNC takes the field against TCU on August 29th in Ireland, what are the actual signs of progress that we can immediately point to and say this team is different?
Linebacker Play
While the Tar Heels are replacing linebackers, from my observations, I did not believe they had irreplaceable players in the position group during the offseason. While there was solid play at times, the top two tacklers among the linebackers collectively had fewer tackles than NC State’s Caden Fordham. I think the key to UNC’s defensive success is going to be whether we see WLB Peyton Seelman involved early and often against TCU. If McDonald and Seelman stay healthy and UNC can limit yardage on first and second down, then Melkart will go over the number of sacks projected for the season.
Penalty Free Tight Coverage
The Tar Heels replace talented players in the defensive backfield, but one area that plagued them in recent years was pass interference in critical moments. Marcus Allen just needed to get away from ACC referees because if he breathed on a receiver too hard, the flag was coming out. The player to watch early is Tre Miller, who gave up a high percentage of completions in 2025. If he can hold his own early against some speedy wideouts from TCU, then the defense may be a lot better in the backfield than we could hope for.
The Trenches
This is a position group I get burned on each year listening to coaches, especially when Mack Brown was leading the program. If the quarterback remains upright and we are excited about the running backs, then we won’t hear much about the line. On the other side, if we see safeties making tackles and the line of scrimmage seems to be reset on the Tar Heels’ side after the snap, then we’ll know the line wasn’t as good as we thought. None of it matters until the game starts.
One aspect about access and coaches speaking to the press often in training camp is the false promises and sometimes flat out lies about position groups. Siskey and McCready had a good segment on their podcast regarding press conferences and the questions that are asked.
Player Development
Other than quarterback and a handful of talented skill players, how many times were fans and media complaining about the lack of development prior to Bill Belichick being hired? That’s a topic for a different day. However, I am looking forward to seeing how a full year with Belichick and the strength and conditioning program shows up when the Tar Heels land in Ireland. If Leroy Jackson takes the step many are discussing around training camp, then I expect more to follow, which could have the Tar Heels sneaking up and surprising some programs.
These are four things I will be watching from across the pond when UNC kicks off against TCU. None of these guarantee a better win loss record, but they would lower the chances of my alma mater being embarrassed as they were in multiple games in a year we would rather not mention heading into the 2026 football season.
