Jordan Shipp is UNC’s Player of the Game against NC State

Carolina capped off a miserable season with a miserable performance at NC State on Saturday, racking up 11 penalties for 129 yards en route to a 42-19 loss.

As he was against Duke last week, Jordan Shipp was the best player on the field for the Tar Heels. He finished with eight receptions for a career-high 90 yards and a touchdown (which cut the Wolfpack’s lead to 14-7 early in the second quarter). To put that into perspective, eight other UNC players combined for 14 receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown (which came after both teams pulled their starters in the waning minutes of the game).

Shipp is exactly the kind of talented underclassman who would have provided some hope for next season not long ago. In today’s college football world, however, it feels almost inevitable that a top 25 team will lure him into the transfer portal with the promise of a bigger bag (and/or a less dysfunctional environment). Shipp did tell the media he intends to stay at Carolina during the postgame press conference Saturday night, but with just over a month until the portal opens, there’s plenty of time for that to change.

Noteworthy in Shipp’s case is the fact that two of his high school teammates—fellow receiver Channing Goodwin and quarterback Jadyn Davis—are now at Michigan, which narrowly lost out to Carolina for Shipp’s commitment (receivers coach Ron Bellamy was his primary recruiter and is still on staff). That seems like a very tempting move to make, even for someone who’s shown his level of dedication to the Tar Heels.

It’s worth keeping an eye on this situation, as it could have significant implications for the future of the Belichick regime.