Aug. 21, 2026, 3:00 p.m.
ET
College football starts next week and, wouldn’t you know it, the North Carolina Tar Heels will play in 2026’s first game. UNC travels across the pond to Ireland on Saturday, August 29, facing TCU at 12 p.m. in a rematch of both teams’ 2025 opener. North Carolina is excited to showcase its revamped roster, featuring a mix of returners and transfer portal additions, hoping offseason improvement translate to additional wins. One of the Tar Heels top returners is defensive end Melkart Abou-Jaoude, who anchored the 2025 pass-rushing attack in Chapel Hill.
On Thursday, Abou-Jaoude earned himself some well-earned preseason recognition: a spot on the Senior Bowl Top 300 list. The next Senior Bowl will be played January 30, 2027 in Mobile, Alabama, home to University of South Alabama. This Top 300 list recognizes a player amongst the country’s top NFL Draft prospects. Abou-Jaoude continued UNC’s recent trend of productive pass-rushers, leading his teammates with 10.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2025.
The redshirt senior’s best stretch came during a late-October-early-November stretch, when he totaled eight sacks across three games, en route to Second Team All-ACC honors. Abou-Jaoude will start along one side of North Carolina’s defensive line this fall, but who’ll team up with the former Delaware transfer to form another formidable pass-rush tandem? The best choice is Richmond transfer Donovan Hoilette Jr., who earned First Team All-Patriot League honors in 2025, while recording a team-high nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Can Abou-Jaoude, fresh off a breakout season that vaulted him up NFL draft boards, remain one of college football’s premier pass-rushers and lead the Tar Heels to more wins in 2026? Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
