Access Denied: Preseason List Offers Disrespect to Tar Heels

In a year of transition for North Carolina football, no players were named to the Preseason All-ACC Team, announced Thursday by the conference.

The Tar Heels, led by new head coach Bill Belichick and featuring nearly 70 new players, were one of seven ACC programs without a selection. UNC nominated four players: offensive linemen Austin Blaske and Christo Kelly, linebacker Andrew Simpson and cornerback Thad Dixon.

Blaske, a sixth-year senior and former Georgia transfer, started every regular-season game he played last season, missing only Week 3 against North Carolina Central due to a lower-body injury. He did not allow a sack in 437 pass-blocking snaps and earned an 84.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. Blaske has experience at center, guard and tackle.

Kelly, the first transfer to commit after Belichick’s hire, was a two-year starter and team captain at Holy Cross. He played 778 snaps in 2024 and earned first-team All-Patriot League honors. UNC listed him at center on its All-ACC ballot.

Simpson spent four seasons at Boise State and appeared in 40 career games, including 25 starts. He played a key role on the Broncos’ 2024 playoff team and enters the season with 141 total tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, three interceptions, eight pass breakups and five forced fumbles. On Wednesday, he was named to the preseason watch list for the Dick Butkus Award, which honors the nation's top linebacker.

UNC LB Andrew Simpson while at Boise State lasts season. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Dixon, a Washington transfer, brings experience and familiarity with the Tar Heels’ defensive system after playing under Steve Belichick with the Seahawks in 2024. A key contributor to a Huskies defense that ranked No. 2 nationally against the pass, Dixon has totaled 69 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, 16 pass breakups and a forced fumble over the past two seasons. He enters his fifth year of college football, including time at the junior college level.

The Tar Heels were picked to finish eighth out of 17 teams in the ACC in the league’s preseason media poll. North Carolina opens the season on Labor Day night against TCU at 8 p.m. in Chapel Hill — Belichick’s first game as head coach.

UNC brought in 38 players via the transfer portal and signed 31 freshmen in the 2025 class.

"We have a long way to go," Belichick said last week at ACC Kickoff. "We've got a lot of new players, so we'll see what happens when we get out there and start. I'm excited to see them play. They've worked hard and they're in good condition. And I think they're excited and they're ready to go. So we'll see where it takes us."

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