North Carolina will hit the weekend down one player to the NCAA transfer portal.
As first noted by Inside Carolina, offensive lineman Avery Jones has submitted his name to the database.
The redshirt offensive lineman was considered a four-star as part of the Class of 2018. That pre-dates Mack Brown’s (second) time in Chapel Hill but he was expected to provide some depth for North Carolina whenever the 2020 campaign rolled around.
Instead, Jones will likely be playing elsewhere for the eventual season’s kickoff. He wound up appearing in just one game for the Tar Heels during his time on campus, a single snap against FCS Mercer last year.
Interestingly, Inside Carolina notes that Jones is the ninth player to depart from the UNC program this offseason. Tight end Carl Tucker (to Alabama) is the most notable of those names.
It goes without saying that playing time could be a big factor for Jones’ departure. Not only did he not see much of the field, but he was recruited over in recent classes quite a bit. Add in an upcoming haul from Brown and snaps would be hard to come by.
No word on any potential destinations for Jones in the report. He was recruited out of high school by a number of ACC programs, however. In addition, East Carolina, Maryland and Vanderbilt also offered him.