Legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick took his knowledge and pedigree to the college ranks with the North Carolina Tar Heels before the 2025 season. His team struggled in the first year with Belichick at the helm, going 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. These were the team's lowest win totals since 2018.
This offseason, Belichick and the rest of the North Carolina coaching staff have tried to put together a roster that can compete in the ACC and on a national level. However, since the 2025 season ended, 32 players transferred out of the Tar Heels' program, and not nearly the same amount have come in.
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Going into Friday, North Carolina had commitments from 19 players in the NCAA Transfer Portal, with 17 of them already having enrolled in classes at the university.
However, on Friday, the Tar Heels lost one of the two players who had not yet enrolled, as former Western Carolina Catamounts quarterback Taron Dickens decommitted from North Carolina and returned to the portal.
"BREAKING: Western Carolina transfer QB Taron Dickens has decommitted from North Carolina, @InsideCarolina reports," said On3 in a caption on social media.
Dickens is a three-star prospect as a transfer, according to 247Sports, and he is the 90th-ranked quarterback in this year's portal.
He is coming off a phenomenal year with Western Carolina in 2025, completing 74% of his passes for 3,508 yards and 38 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He also rushed for 321 yards and one more score on the ground in nine games.
With Dickens decommitting from North Carolina, Belichick and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino will go back to the drawing board to see who will be the team's starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2026 season.
