Dabo Swinney vs. Bill Belichick.
When Clemson travels to Chapel Hill on October 4, it will be one of the more anticipated matchups of the season.
The game will represent only the second time in college football history that a head coach with multiple FBS national championships will face another head coach with multiple Super Bowl titles.
The Tigers lead the all-time series 40-19-1 and have won six straight over the Tar Heels. Clemson’s last loss to North Carolina came in 2010 in Chapel Hill.
Today, The Clemson Insider continues its series looking at each of the Tigers’ 2025 opponents and the moves each has made in the transfer portal. Players lost, as well as players added.
There will be a lot of roster turnover in Belichick’s first season and the former NFL head coach has been active in the portal. Several players followed his son, Steve Belichick, from Washington to Chapel Hill. Belichick was the defensive coordinator with the Huskies in 2024.
North Carolina Portal Additions
- OL Christo Kelly (Holy Cross): Kelly started 22 games over the last two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder was named to the All-Patriot League Football First Team after logging 778 snaps as the starting center and team captain in 2024. A grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.
- DL Melkart Abou-Jaoude (Deleware): Had his best season as a junior last year, totaling 24 tackles, with 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 11 starts for the Blue Hens, earning all-conference honorable mention honors. He began his college career as a walk-on and has two years of eligibility remaining.
- TE Connor Cox (South Carolina): Appeared in four games with the Gamecocks in 2024, then sat out the rest of the season to preserve the year of eligibility. His only catch over his two years at SC was a nine-yard touchdown against Akron last season. Has three years left.
- K Adam Samaha (Michigan): Kicked one extra point at Michigan. Has three years of eligibility left.
- DL CJ Mims (E. Carolina): Originally committed to Wake Forest after entering the portal before flipping to the Heels. Over his two seasons at ECU, Mims recorded 37 tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. Has two seasons left.
- OL Miles McVay (Alabama): A Top 200 talent in the 2023 recruiting class. McVay redshirted his first season and appeared in five games at tackle, logging 94 snaps in 2024. Three seasons left to play.
- QB Ryan Browne (Purdue): Was a 3-star in the 2023 class and redshirted his first season. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder, appeared in eight games for Purdue this past season with two starts. On the season, he threw for 532 yards and four touchdowns with a pair of interceptions while completing 56.6 percent of his passes. He also gained 241 yards on the ground. Has three years of eligibility remaining.
- OL Chad Lindberg (Rice): Former Top 150 recruit who signed with Georgia out of high school. Over four years with the Bulldogs, he played in 20 games. A year ago, Lindberg transferred to Rice. He started all 11 games he appeared in for the Owls. Seven of those starts were at left guard and the rest were at left tackle.
- WR Aziah Johnson (Michigan State): As a red-shirt freshman this past season, he caught 16 passes for 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Had just one drop in 25 targets. Has three years of eligibility remaining.
- LB Khmori House (Washington): Last season as a freshman, House tallied 317 snaps across 12 games for Washington, recording 35 tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. Three years left to play.
- OL William Boone (Prarie View A&M): Appeared in a dozen games for Prairie View A&M last season at right tackle. In a team-high 782 snaps, Boone did not allow a sack in 2024. He has two years remaining of eligibility. His prior collegiate stops were at Kilgore College (2023) and the New Mexico Military Institute (2022).
- DB Gavin Gibson (E. Carolina): Spent his first two seasons at Maryland before transferring to ECU last year. Started 10 games with the Pirates (five at cornerback and five at strong safety), recording three interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), three pass breakups, 52 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
- DL Pryce Yates (UConn): Injury limited him to just seven games in 2024 but still finished with 21 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks. In the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28, Yates helped UConn beat UNC, 27-14, with six tackles, including three for a loss and a sack. Has one season of eligibility left.
- DB Coleman Bryson (Minnesota): Compiled 54 tackles in three years with the Golden Gophers. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
- WR Jason Robinson (Washington): The 5-foot-10, 151-pound wideout didn’t appear in a game while redshirting in 2024. Will have four years of eligibility remaining.
- DB Peyton Waters (Washington): As a true freshman, the 6-foot-1, 182-pound Waters appeared in all 13 games for Washington this past season, recording five tackles. Waters played three games on defense at safety, but the majority of the action he saw was on special teams. Has three seasons left.
- DB Thaddeus Dixon (Washington): Over the past two seasons, Dixon appeared in 27 of Washington’s 28 games with 13 starts (12 this season). He concluded his career with 69 tackles, 16 pass breakups, and a pair of interceptions. Has one year of eligibility left.
- OL Daniel King (Troy): King started all 40 of his games at Troy. He is a two-time All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree. King played 789 snaps in 2024 while playing two positions on the line — right guard the first half of the season, before moving to right tackle. Last season he allowed one sack in 408 pass-blocking plays and was the fourth-rated run blocker in the league.
North Carolina Portal Departures
- OL Eli Sutton (to Austin Peay)
- RB Jordan Louie (TBD)
- OL Zach Greenburg (James Madison)
- QB Conner Harrell (Charlotte)
- OL Andrew Rosinski (Georgia Tech)
- DL Travis Shaw (Texas)
- OL Howard Sampson (Texas Tech)
- K Noah Burnette (Notre Dame)
- OL Jakiah Leftwich (UCF)
- DB Tyrane Stewart (TBD)
- OL Malik McGowan (UNLV)
- QB Michael Merdinger (Liberty)
- LB Ashton Woods (West Virginia)
- LB Caleb LaVallee (Florida State)
- DB Deandre Boykins (TBD)
- QB Jacolby Criswell (ETSU)
Photo courtesy of Bob Donnan-Imagn Images