Inside Carolina: A UNC athletics podcast

While summer may keep campus quiet in Chapel Hill, the "Shoe Circuit" went full-throttle this past week as AAU tournaments began in earnest. Coaches from around the country are now back on the road for this live period to evaluate the best of the best in the class of '26 and beyond. North Carolina had its staff out and about watching offered and targeted players, and IC will continue its coverage...

Last season, North Carolina's tight end room was three-deep, versatile and proven. Heading into 2025, this room is quite the opposite, with lightly used Jake Johnson heading the room, joined by three transfers - Jordan Owens, Conner Cox and Shamar Easter. Inside Carolina's Jason Staples joins host Tommy Ashley to discuss the room superlatives and what to expect when the season opens on Labor Day....

Carolina fans remember Greg Ellis as an anchor of Mack Brown's best defenses in Chapel Hill in the mid-to-late nineties. Ellis went on to a 12-year All-Pro career in the NFL, and has been even busier since he hung up the cleats. Last month, the National Football Foundation announced that Ellis was on the ballot for the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame. He joined Joey Powell to talk ball, being s...

Gone is one of the nation’s best in Omarion Hampton, but as Inside Carolina’s Jason Staples explains, North Carolina’s stable of running backs has the tools and talent to be productive and efficient in Bill Belichick’s first season in Chapel Hill. Staples discusses the superlatives of the room with Davion Gause taking an ‘alpha’ role and Michigan transfer Benjamin Hall joining Caleb Hood and Charl...

Quality depth and enough puzzle pieces highlight North Carolina’s offensive line room as Jason Staples joins host Tommy Ashley to break down the returners and newcomers at perhaps the most important position for success this season in Chapel Hill. Superlatives highlight the discussion and Staples offers his take on every member of the room with some expectations across the board. To learn more abo...

North Carolina’s move into the new world order took another big step forward on July 1st with the announcement that Steve Newmark would succeed Bubba Cunningham as Athletic Director in the summer of 2026. Newmark comes to Chapel Hill with an extensive background in NASCAR and the financial side of athletics and will spend the next year on campus learning the basics of administration on a college c...

With North Carolina’s summer camp sessions complete, coach Bill Robinson -- author of  Carolina Basketball School  --- joins host Tommy Ashley again to now recap this year’s sessions. Robinson discusses why things are different under head coach Hubert Davis, recounts stories from the past two weeks in Chapel Hill, and details what was learned after seeing the 2025-26 Tar Heel players in action. To...

While the headlines may not be heavy, the lack of above-the-fold news has created a bit of entertainment around the UNC Basketball program in the form of summer intrigue. Sherrell McMillan and Sean Moran join Joey Powell to dive into the newly-released non-conference schedule, recap the two UNC players (Drake Powell and RJ Davis) who have seen their NBA careers begin, and share some thoughts on th...

Inside Carolina football recruiting expert Don Callahan joins host Tommy Ashley to provide insight on the recent run of commitments for Bill Belichick and his North Carolina staff. From Burgess to Woods, Callahan dishes on the June commits as well as the massive scoop posted on IC’s Tar Pit Premium message board and more on this edition. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices...

Summers in Chapel Hill are legendary and Carolina Basketball’s famed camps are a big part of the lore.  In his book, Carolina Basketball School - History, Stories and Drills, Bill Robinson highlights the key figures responsible for the two weeks in June that many Tar Heel fans hold dear and tells the tales that live in the history of the Carolina Family.  Robinson joins host Tommy Ashley to share...

Bill Belichick’s pledge to build the North Carolina football program from the inside out starts with the defensive tackles and this position room is one of the thinnest, if not the thinnest, in the Kenan Football Center. Inside Carolina’s Jason Staples joins host Tommy Ashley to discuss the superlatives in the room and the three newest editions - CJ Mims, Isaiah Johnson and D’Antre Robinson. Stapl...

For a few years now, the Coast to Coast podcast has held Fathers' Day up as a watermark by which fans should safely be able to evaluate the roster, as it usually falls after the comings and goings of players have subsided. On this episode of the show, the guys run down a pretty wide array of happenings around Carolina basketball. While none of these developments are necessarily headline-worthy, th...

Inside Carolina's expert football analyst Jason Staples joins host Tommy Ashley to hand out superlatives to members of North Carolina's edge rusher room. The alpha, the breakout, the time to show and prove and much more from a Tar Heel position group that has two young returner in Tyler Thompson and Jaybron Harvey joined by four transfer portal pick ups. To learn more about listener data and our p...

When North Carolina hired Bill Belichick last December, it signaled a shift that the powers that be on campus were serious about winning big at nearly any costs. After Hubert Davis and his Tar Heel team struggled last season, missing a big and necessary piece, those powers pushed the chips in on hoops. The results? A 14 million dollar roster for the '25-'26 North Carolina Tar Heels with an eye on...

College athletics took another step into the new world with the final approval of House vs. NCAA in a culmination of years of court battles over athlete compensation and 'amateurism'. Inside Carolina's Greg Barnes has been on the forefront of the coverage of House and other landmark court decisions and joins host Tommy Ashley for a discussion of how this approval shapes the new era of college athl...

At noon on Friday, North Carolina's quest to return college baseball's mecca begins in Boshamer Stadium as the Tar Heels host Arizona in a three-game series - winner to the College World Series. Inside Carolina's Grace Nugent and Tommy Ashley spoke with head coach Scott Forbes about the juggling act of preparing for the series while preparing for the future - the NCAA transfer portal is active and...

What the transfer portal taketh, the transfer portal giveth and in North Carolina’s linebacker room, the in’s and out’s of the new world order are on full display. Inside Carolina’s Jason Staples and host Tommy Ashley break down the specifics with five new faces in the room and one young Tar Heel that stuck around to be a part of the revolution under Bill Belichick. The alpha, the breakout and the...

North Carolina’s postseason run continues in Boshamer Stadium this weekend with the Arizona Wildcats coming in after winning the Eugene regional - notably without having to play host Oregon. Inside Carolina’s Grace Nugent and Tommy Ashley break down the matchup from both sides as Carolina’s pitching staff will face a hot ‘Zona offense featuring power bats at the top of the order. Nugent and Ashley...

The addition of Montenegrin Luka Bogavac gave Hubert Davis yet another piece for next season's roster, and puts UNC one step closer to being a finished product heading into the summer. Sean Moran and Sherrell McMillan join Joey Powell to take a little deeper look at Bogavac's addition to the squad, his game, and how this fills a glaring need on the court. Additionally, the three take some listener...

North Carolina continues to build its roster for the coming season and has reached into the Adriatic League for the latest addition. Luka Bogavac of Serbia & Montenegro by way of KK Mega Basket is bringing his sharp-shooting 6'5" frame to Chapel Hill. Sean Moran and Sherrell McMillan join Joey Powell to break down what Bogavac's commitment means for the coming year.  To learn more about listener d...

Inside Carolina's Jason Staples joins host Tommy Ashley to discuss his process for his annual player scouting reports and the duo discusses the defensive back room in this episode. Superlatives include the room Alpha, this year's breakout player, which Tar Heel is on the clock to prove it on the field and which young player will make an impact on the field this season. Finally, Staples compares th...

For the sixth time in eight years, North Carolina, Chapel Hill and Boshamer Stadium will host an NCAA Regional and welcome in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Holy Cross with play opening on Friday.  Inside Carolina’s Tommy Ashley and Grace Nugent break down the regional top to bottom, highlighting not only the Tar Heels but also the Sooners, Cornhuskers and Crusaders and what each team will bring to the ta...

After a long and grueling college baseball season, North Carolina readies for the NCAA Tournament with its season goals ahead of them.  Head coach Scott Forbes joins Inside Carolina’s Tommy Ashley and Grace Nugent to discuss the aftermath of an ACC tournament title and how his team has moved on from the impressive weekend.  Pitching decisions, mental approaches, focused preparation and fan support...

The regular season concluded with a series win at Florida State and now North Carolina enters the postseason as the #3 seed in the ACC Tournament.  The Heels face either Notre Dame/Boston College/Virginia at 7pm on Friday night.  Inside Carolina’s Tommy Ashley and Grace Nugent spoke with Diamond Heel head coach Scott Forbes to discuss his team’s regular season journey, lessons from Tallahassee and...

The bustling activity of the Transfer Portal has turned to a quiet whisper around UNC basketball. Sherrell McMillan and Sean Moran joined Joey Powell to reset the table on the Tar Heels' current two international targets and Drake Powell's breakout measurables at the NBA Combine. The panel then spends some time discussing the first non-scholastic evaluation period of the summer, and what the entir...