The North Carolina Tar Heels have made a critical wide receiver move.
The North Carolina Tar Heels' offense was in dire straits this past season, and a big reason why was their lack of weapons in the receiving corps.
North Carolina also lost a bunch of wide receivers to the transfer portal, which further exacerbated the problem. It also made Jordan Shipp's return that much more important.
Well, Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels made a major move on that front this week, agreeing to re-sign Shipp amid rumors that the junior receiver could depart.
Shipp was one of UNC's lone bright spots in 2025, catching 60 passes for 671 yards and six touchdowns in spite of subpar quarterback play.
The Charlotte native arrived at Chapel Hill in 2024 and did not receive much playing time during his freshman campaign, logging just nine catches for 114 yards and a score.
Belichick made sure to change that upon his arrival last year.
Shipp is one of the few players on North Carolina's roster with NFL potential, and it stands to reason that he could enter the NFL Draft next year depending upon the season he has with the Tar Heels in 2026.
North Carolina went just 4-8 in Belichick's debut campaign this past year, suffering a handful of embarrassing blowout losses along the way.
To be fair, Belichick took the job last December and did not have much of a chance to hit the recruiting trail or land big-time transfers during his initial stages with the team.
That being said, the Tar Heels have also struggled to land top-tier talent in the portal this winter, as well, settling for former Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards to start under center next fall.
North Carolina Tar Heels receiver Jordan Shipp. Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images.And in spite of UNC needing more help at wide receiver, it has only been able to land a couple of decent ancillary options in Jonathan Bibbs and Trech Kekahuna.
It doesn't seem like North Carolina has been involved on the very best receivers in the transfer portal, which indicates the best players still have a sense of trepidation concerning the Tar Heels. Perhaps that's because of their questionable quarterback situation.
Regardless, the expectation is that UNC will show improvement in 2026, and it's kind of a must for Belichick, whose reputation has taken a massive hit.