University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Staying Ready When Called Upon
October 13, 2026 | Football
Captain Christo Kelly says “it’s a testament to the culture of this team.”
During the New England Patriots' opening preseason game of 2009, an unknown rookie named Julian Edelman returned a punt for a touchdown, taking advantage of an opportunity created by an injury to star receiver Wes Welker.Â
There's a YouTube clip with 1 million views of Belichick talking to Welker on the sideline after Edelman's return and asking him if he'd ever heard of Wally Pipp.Â
Welker didn't know of Pipp. Most of the Tar Heels don't when Belichick brings him up the name now. The New York Yankees first baseman lost his starting role in 1925 because he missed a game with a headache, giving future Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig a chance to crack the lineup.Â
UNC doesn't have any Wally Pipps in the sense that nobody is missing playing time because of minor ailments.Â
But the fact remains: "Everybody's one play away from being out there," Belichick said.Â
The Tar Heels have learned that lesson the hard way recently.Â
UNC entered this past Saturday's 21-17 win at No. 25 Pitt already missing a starting left tackle (Jordan Hall), defensive tackle (Isaiah Johnson) and edge rusher (Jaylen Harvey). Then the Tar Heel secondary got hit hard, with starting nickelback Kaleb Cost and starting cornerback Tre Miller leaving the game with injuries.Â
"Couple guys came off the bench who hadn't practiced much, hadn't worked much and came in there and gave us some big snaps," Belichick told his team after the win, UNC's first against a ranked opponent since 2023.Â
On the offensive side of the ball, true freshman Cristian Alvarez has made consecutive starts at guard following Hall's absence, with Andrew Threatt moving to left tackle.Â
Tar Heel center and second-year graduate student Christo Kelly said Alvarez earned the respect of his teammates and the trust of his coaches with his play in practice.Â
"When you see guys who practice well — who are playing hard; who are doing the right things — get their opportunities, it's always a cool thing," Kelly said.Â
When you're the next man up, Kelly said, "you're either revealed or exposed."Â
"You saw a lot of guys get revealed in terms of playing well and doing the right things, even though they may not get the same amount of practice reps," said Kelly, one of the Tar Heels' seven captains.Â
That sentiment extended to the Tar Heel defense. Up front, redshirt freshmen defensive linemen Nicco Maggio and Emmanuel Nwaiwu saw increased playing time, and true freshman linebacker Calvin Thomas continued to earn critical snaps.Â
"Like I always tell everyone, 'Stay ready so you don't have to get ready,'" said redshirt sophomore safety Greg Smith III. "Because you don't know when your name is going to get called."Â
Smith's prudent advice is certainly getting tested in the UNC secondary.Â
The injuries to Cost and Miller were both unfortunate in their own ways. The manner in which Cost, a senior, was hurt was frustrating, as he tripped over a photographer beyond the end zone and collided with the wall.Â
Miller, the ACC's defensive back of the week, was in the midst of his best game as a Tar Heel when the redshirt junior was injured while returning his first career interception.Â
In their absences, the likes of redshirt senior Ade Willie, junior Jalon Thompson and true freshman Kenton Dopson III stepped up, keeping in check a Pitt passing attack that started off well but struggled as the game went on.Â
Willie, an experienced newcomer, made seven starts across 30 games with Michigan State before coming to UNC. Thompson, primarily a special teams player, made the most of his opportunities against Pitt and was unlucky to have his 70-yard fumble return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter overruled.Â
Dopson, a four-star high school prospect out of Miami, made four tackles in the Pitt win and has played double-digit defensive snaps in UNC's last four contests, including 44 across the last two games.Â
"He's been putting in the work off the field and has earned coach's trust to get in," Smith said of Dopson. "So when it's time to get in, he gets in and makes plays." Â
Kelly said his teammates' ability to step up and contribute reflects well on both players and coaches.Â
"It's a testament to the individual guys," he said. "It's a testament to the culture of this team. It's a testament to the coaches."Â
