North Carolina defensive back Ayden Duncanson commits to transfer to ECU

North Carolina Tar Heels defensive back Ayden Duncanson has committed to transfer to the ECU Pirates. He announced the commitment on social media.

Ayden Duncanson spent one season playing for the Tar Heels. During that year, he played in one game, retaining a redshirt. The one game he played was against the Campbell Camels and he was able to make two tackles during the performance.

“Lets work,” Duncanson wrote. “@ECUPiratesFB #blessings

Lets work! 🏴‍☠️ @ECUPiratesFB #blessings pic.twitter.com/9jkNZnWbml

— Ayden Duncanson (@AydenDuncanson) May 7, 2024

Ayden Duncanson played high school football at Whitefield Academy (Georgia), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 975 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

At one point, during the 2023 recruiting cycle, Ayden Duncanson had been committed to go to ECU out of high school. Clearly, he still had a strong relationship with ECU and head coach Mike Houston.

He has four seasons of eligibility remaining.

Ayden Duncanson is joining an ECU team that has struggled in recent years. The Pirates have only gone to two bowl games since 2015, both of which were under Mike Houston. However, ECU went just 2-10 in 2023, struggling to replace quarterback Holton Ahlers and find success on offense.

Defensively, ECU is coming off a season where the Pirates finished with the 38th-ranked scoring defense in college football, giving up just 22.4 points per game. ECU also was 58th in passing defense, giving up 219.2 yards per game through the air.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

North Carolina and the Transfer Portal

The Transfer Portal for college football opened for the Spring window on April 16th. That was a 15-day window and has since closed for players entering. However, there is still time for players to find a new school to transfer to.

To this point in the 2024 transfer cycle, the North Carolina Tar Heels have the 28th-ranked class, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That’s a class that has seen 20 players leave the program and another eight enter it.

Among those coming into the North Carolina program, seven have entered from other power conference programs. That includes two different quarterbacks, as the Tar Heels look to replace Drake Maye. Meanwhile, of those committed to exit the program, eight are making their way to power conference teams.