3 UNC Football Players To Monitor Closely in Fall Camp

These three Tar Heels' potential breakouts in fall camp could help the program reach its first bowl game under Bill Belichick.

Jul 17, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick, talks with the media during interviews at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fall camp is underway for the North Carolina Tar Heels as their first game of the season nears on August 29 in Dublin against the TCU Horned Frogs. The program is looking to put all drama in the rearview mirror, focus strictly on football, and turn the roster into a respectable group this fall.

Head coach Bill Belichick enters his second year with a roster that includes a mix of veterans, transfers, and roughly 40 true freshmen, as he continues to rebuild the program from the ground up and navigate the complex sport that is college football. As training camp enters another day, there are always a handful of players who break out to become standouts in the program. Here are some of them who could do that.

JacQawn McRoy, Right Tackle

Oct 28, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a North Carolina Tar Heels helmet on the field before a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Not every day do you get a chance to develop a monster at offensive tackle, and McRoy has a chance to be an impenetrable force on the right side of North Carolina's offensive line. A former 4-star recruit, McRoy follows offensive coordinator and former Arkansas interim head coach Bobby Petrino to Chapel Hill to be an offensive enforcer in the trenches.

Listed at 6-foot-8, 335 pounds, the former Razorback could emerge as a great player up front, and a strong fall camp could confirm him as a man amongst boys.

Travis Burgess, Quarterback

Jul 17, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick talks with the media during interviews at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Someone in the quarterback room must step up in the competition for the Week 0 starting job. Burgess is a former blue-chip 4-star recruit who could be the future signal-caller for the Tar Heels as soon as this season. The physical abilities and dynamic skills could help give the rookie a chance to win the job.

While he was limited in the spring due to injury, Burgess enters his first fall camp in college football as a candidate to break out this month. That should help him secure the opening-day gig, and you would much rather have a rookie make mistakes than a veteran like Billy Edwards Jr.

Joseph Mupoyi, Edge Rusher

Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Richmond Spiders quarterback Ashten Snelsire (18) looks to pass as North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Joseph Mupoyi (25) pressures in the second quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mupoyi is an edge rusher who intrigued me last fall as the Tar Heels finished with a respectable unit that held its own and gave ACC Championship runner-up Virginia a run for its money. He is an explosive and athletic pass rusher who can generate consistent pressure as a looper in line games or with bend and acceleration turning the corner.

While transfers Donovan Hoilette Jr. and Jaylen Harvey are duking it out to start opposite Melkart Abou Jaoude, don't forget about the redshirt junior Mupoyi, who also offers the talent to play a significant role. A strong showing in fall camp could help him make that case.