Mack Brown shares UNC's approach to defensive tackle in the transfer portal

The North Carolina Tar Heels are heading into the summer portion of their college football offseason, and head coach Mack Brown is still on the prowl for talented defensive line players within the portal.

The Tar Heels are a bit thin on the interior of the defensive line, with four players currently in rotation. So, it would make sense why Brown would like to bolster that position before the start of the 2024 season. However, as the North Carolina head coach recently explained, it is a lot easier said than done.

“Well, what you do is you look for the best players available. And if somebody comes in the portal that’s really, really good, likes us, and is at that position, you look at them. But that’s just what you do,” said Brown. “And the portal is expensive. Everybody says, ‘Why don’t they get that one?’ Well, give us more money. Check your NIL budget; what you’re spending, you can second guess me. But I think that’s the biggest thing.”

One of the consistent criticisms from universities across the land is that NIL has made transfer portal recruiting unbalanced. Some bigger schools have a little bit more money at their disposal to offer players in the transfer portal. The majority of others have to work with modest budgets, which is something that Brown highlights as he continues with his statement.

“If we see a great player at just about any position, that’s interested in us, and it would usually have to be somebody from around here; usually have to be somebody we recruited. Because we’re not gonna get that guy that that looks at the five that are spending all the money. Every time that’s coming up, I always look to see who they’re looking at, and I say, ‘Nope. Not us.’ But that’s the truth; it’s facts and that’s OK. But I do feel like we’ll keep looking. The two coming in are really good and the two young ones that played Saturday are getting better and better. So, I think we’re going to be fine.”

True to his response, Brown brought in former Ole Miss defensive tackle Joshua Harris by way of the transfer portal this offseason. Although he spent the majority of his collegiate career in Mississippi, Harris is from right up the road, hailing from Roxboro, North Carolina.

It may have been in jest, but the Tar Heels head coach might have a valid argument. If North Carolina is to bring in more talented players from the transfer portal, the university’s NIL boosters will likely have to play a much more significant role in the future.