University of North Carolina Athletics
2026 Spring Football Roster
Melkart Abou Jaoude
- Position:
- Defensive Line
- Height:
- 6-5
- Weight:
- 260
- Class:
- Redshirt Senior
- Hometown:
- Newton, N.J.
- High School:
- Newton
HONORS AND AWARDS
2024 - Redshirt Sophomore Season at Delaware
2023 - Redshirt Freshman Season at Delaware
2022 - Freshman Season at Delaware
High School
- 2025 Second Team All-ACC Selection
- 2024 All-CAA Honorable Mention (DL) selection
- 2023 Fall CAA Football Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll
- Second Team All-ACC Selection by the league’s head coaches and the Associated Press
- Started 11 of the team’s 12 games
- Turned in one of the best seasons by a UNC defensive player in program history, leading the ACC with 10.5 sacks
- Ranked fifth nationally at the conclusion of the regular season in sacks
- Tied with Hilee Taylor for the sixth-most sacks in a single season in Tar Heel history
- Played 646 snaps, the most by a defensive lineman in the ACC
- Recorded 47 tackles – the fourth most on the team
- Named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after tallying a game-high six tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble in Carolina's 27-10 win at Syracuse
- Had three sacks in a game twice this season, accomplishing the feat against Virginia and Stanford
- In addition to his sack total, had 12 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery
2024 - Redshirt Sophomore Season at Delaware
- All-CAA Honorable Mention (DL) selection
- Appeared and started in all 11 games
- Finished the season with 24 tackles
- Had team-highs of 9.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks and 8 QB hurries
- Registered at least one tackle in all 11 games
- Had at least 0.5 sacks in seven games
- Had a season-high five tackles and 2.0 sacks at Richmond (10/19)
- Recorded three tackles and a sack against Bryant (8/29)
- Had three tackles, a TFL and 0.5 sacks against UAlbany (10/26)
2023 - Redshirt Freshman Season at Delaware
- Appeared in all 13 games, with two starts
- Finished the season with 25 tackles, 5.0 TFL and 2.0 sacks
- Recorded a season-high five tackles against Saint Francis (9/16)
- Had four tackles, 3.0 TFLs and one sack against Elon (11/4)
- Had three tackles and a sack at Campbell (11/11)
- Made two tackles in each of Delaware’s playoff games
- Earned Honors on the Fall CAA Football Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll
2022 - Freshman Season at Delaware
- Appeared in one game against Morgan State
- Redshirted the remainder of the season
High School
- Played football at Newton High School in New Jersey
- Was a defensive end and tight end for the Braves
- Helped Newton compile a 10-1 record as a senior in 2021 and advance to the state semifinals of the playoffs
- Tallied 28 tackles and tied for the team lead with nine tackles for loss that season
- On offense, he reeled in 18 passes for 440 yards with eight touchdowns in 2021
- Was also a state championship qualifier in wrestling, winning the district championship as a senior
UNC Baseball: Tar Heels Shut Down Richmond, 10-0
Wednesday, February 18
WBB: Post-Duke Conference - Feb. 15, 2026
Sunday, February 15
UNC Women's Basketball: Tar Heels Fall at Duke, 72-68
Sunday, February 15
UNC Men's Lacrosse: Tar Heels Cruise Past Iona, 23-7
Sunday, February 15
