Veteran Linebacker Derek McDonald Transferring to UNC

Syracuse linebacker Derek McDonald has decided to transfer to North Carolina, his agent confirmed to On3 on Saturday. The 6-4, 230-pound redshirt senior will bring a veteran presence to a young linebacker room, as he spends his sixth year of college football in Chapel Hill.

McDonald suffered a season-ending hip injury after three games this season at Syracuse in which he played 90 snaps. His college career totals to date are 173 tackles in 1,469 snaps across the last five seasons. The Atlanta, Ga. native has family ties to the Tar Heels — his mother ran track at UNC, according to his Syracuse bio.

The three main rotation players for the Tar Heels at linebacker last season will not return, as Andrew Simpson and Mikai Gbayor graduated, and Khmori House entered the transfer portal. The trio accounted for 177 tackles for UNC in 2025 and comprised 93% of the total snaps by all linebackers.

UNC Transfer Portal Commitments

1. QB Billy Edwards (Jan. 4) – Wisconsin
   Maryland starter in ’04, missed most of ’05 with knee injury
2. OL Andrew Threatt (Jan. 4) – Charleston Southern
   Versatile all-conference lineman with 23 consecutive starts
3. TE Jaxxon Warren (Jan. 4) – Colorado State
   Six-foot-eight target had seven catches in two games before season-ending injury
4. DL Tarvorise Brown (Jan. 5) – Florida
   Appeared in three games in reserve role last season
5. DE Jaylen Harvey (Jan. 5) – Penn State
   Former four-star prospect saw 159 snaps as a RS-freshman
6. WR Trech Kekahuna (Jan. 5) – Wisconsin
   Recorded 55 catches for 614 yards in Badger career
7. OL Sean Thompkins (Jan. 6) – Baylor
   Played 460 snaps at tackle last season
8. DB Ade Willie (Jan. 6) – Michigan State
   Started four games in ’25 before redshirting
9. QB Miles O’Neill (Jan. 6) – Texas A&M
   Appeared in seven games in reserve in ’25, recruited to TAMU by Petrino
10. LB Peyton Seelmann (Jan. 6) – Richmond
    Finished regular season Top 10 nationally in tackles
11. WR Mason Humphrey (Jan. 8) – Lehigh
    Had 35 catches for 650 yards as junior
12. OL Shaq McRoy (Jan. 9) – Arkansas
    Played in six games and one start, totaling 58 offensive snaps, at right tackle.
13. LB Derek McDonald (Jan. 10) – Syracuse
    Career totals of 173 tackles across the last five seasons. 

“This year we have a better understanding of what’s in the portal — what could be in the portal — what kind of players we want from the portal that fit what we have to do here at North Carolina,” UNC general manager Michael Lombardi said after the season. “And so we have to be ready to be able to fill the spots that we have to, and that’s why it’s really important to have a grading system, to have a personnel department so that we can sit there and honestly say … we need to get a better player.”