UVA linebacker Noah Taylor announces commitment to UNC

The UNC Tar Heels and Mack Brown landed a big-time transfer on Monday in former Virginia Cavaliers linebacker Noah Taylor.

Taylor played all 12 games for UVA this season and finished the year third on the team in tackles. He posted 69 tackles with 28 solo tackles, four passes defensed, and 3.5 sacks.

The senior from Silver Spring, Maryland, began contributing for the Cavaliers in 2019. That year he had seven sacks and two interceptions, on top of 57 total tackles. He’s 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds.

Noah Taylor became one of the top linebacker transfers in the NCAA transfer portal when he and three other Cavs players opted to enter three weeks ago. Offensive linemen Olusegun Oluwatimi and Bobby Haskins have also entered the portal. Haskins committed to the USC Trojans on Sunday.

Coming out of high school, Taylor was a three-star prospect with offers from six programs. He chose Virginia over Kentucky, Pitt, Indiana and more.

Transfer Portal Boom

The NCAA Transfer Portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

The process of entering the portal is done through a school’s compliance office. Once a player provides written notification of an intent to transfer, the office enters the player’s name in the database and everything is off and running. The compliance office has 48 hours to comply with the player’s request and that request cannot be refused.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the school does not have to offer their scholarship back if they choose to return.