Bill Belichick Lands Another Transfer At North Carolina On Tuesday
12/17/2024 02:19 PM
Bill Belichick has yet to coach a single game for the North Carolina Tar Heels, but he's already had a major impact on the football program.
Belichick is putting his staff together for the 2025 season, and he's also bringing in some players from the transfer portal.
Players are eager to play for a head coach who helped teams win eight Super Bowl championships in the NFL, and they're looking to replicate that success with North Carolina at the college level.
On Tuesday, another player made the decision to transfer to the Tar Heels.
Melkart Abou Jaoude, a defensive lineman from Delaware, is making his way to Chapel Hill after taking an on-campus visit last week.
Abou-Jaoude had 24 tackles and 6.5 sacks this season for the Blue Hens, and he'll be joining a North Carolina team that had 39 sacks in 2024 - good for fourth in the ACC as a conference.
Bill lands another Transfer👀
— NCAA Transfer Portal (@RivalsPortal) December 17, 2024
Delaware's Melkart Abou Jaoude announces he will transfer to North Carolina pic.twitter.com/KPASZrMbZX
The defensive lineman chose the Tar Heels over Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Pitt, choosing to join Belichick on his maiden voyage into college football.
Abou-Jaoude is joining the Tar Heels one day after former Holy Cross offensive lineman Christo Kelly pledged to transfer to the school. Kelly made 22 starts at Holy Cross, giving Belichick a veteran option to plug into the offensive line next season.
He was a team captain and was named to the All-Patriot League first-team as one of the best linemen at the FCS level, after new general manager Mike Lombardi said that the team needed to address the trenches this offseason.
"We've got to get offensive and defensive linemen," Lombardi noted after taking the job.
"At the end of the day, we're going to build a football team the same way we've always built a football team -- inside out. Those are the pillars that we're going to start, stress and build on. That's the first action that we have to take. It's not about adding players. It's about building the team."
The Tar Heels have added a new offensive lineman and a new defensive lineman already in the transfer portal, and they're hard at work when it comes to finding more players to fit the bill.
Related: Bill Belichick Refuses To Discuss Suspicious Part Of His UNC Contract
