2026 roster · Roster geography
The North Carolina roster story
In 2016, 49 of 104 roster spots were filled by North Carolina players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 11 of 109 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 1 to 29.
In 2016 the median player grew up 221 mi from campus. Now it is 412 mi.
Of the 29 players who came from another college, 2 are from North Carolina. Those home-state players make up 7% of detected-transfer stock on this roster.
The record reaches back to 1959, when 50% of the roster came from North Carolina. Today it is 12%.
Then → now
2016–18 compared with 2021–25
- Local-developed core
- Transfer stock
| Measure | 2016–18 | 2021–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local-developed core | 43.0% | 40.4% | |
| Transfer stock | 1.2% | 12.3% |
The roster, at a glance
- 580 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 101 located players.
- 11.9%In-state11.9% of the roster is from North Carolina.
- 8.9%Backyard8.9% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
- 26.6%Detected transfers26.6% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.
Across the FBS
Where North Carolina ranks
Homecoming Radius over time
The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.
Roster composition over time
Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.
Where do North Carolina's players come from?
| Season | Roster | In-state | Transfer signal | Radius |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 109 | 11.9% | 26.6% | 412 mi |
| 2025 | 109 | 19.4% | 33.0% | 341 mi |
| 2024 | 121 | 40.5% | 12.4% | 251 mi |
| 2023 | 120 | 46.7% | 10.8% | 151 mi |
| 2022 | 118 | 53.0% | 3.4% | 130 mi |
| 2021 | 116 | 53.0% | 1.7% | 140 mi |
| 2020 | 121 | 45.5% | 1.7% | 185 mi |
| 2019 | 121 | 43.8% | 3.3% | 227 mi |
| 2018 | 111 | 40.9% | 0.9% | 233 mi |
| 2017 | 109 | 42.2% | 1.8% | 233 mi |
| 2016 | 104 | 47.1% | 1.0% | 221 mi |
| 2015 | 115 | 51.3% | 0.9% | 122 mi |
| 2014 | 124 | 54.8% | 0.0% | 111 mi |
| 2013 | 111 | 50.5% | 0.0% | 139 mi |
| 2012 | 116 | 54.3% | 0.0% | 132 mi |
| 2011 | 106 | 56.6% | 0.9% | 132 mi |
| 2010 | 98 | 51.5% | 1.0% | 150 mi |
| 2009 | 101 | 56.0% | 1.0% | 128 mi |
| 2008‡ | 33 | 52.6% | 0.0% | — |
| 2007‡ | 30 | 53.8% | 3.3% | — |
| 2006‡ | 25 | 0.0% | 4.0% | — |
| 2005‡ | 30 | — | 0.0% | — |
| 2004‡ | 31 | — | 0.0% | — |
| 2003archive | 119 | 49.6% | 0.0% proxy | 139 mi |
| 2002archive | 105 | 53.3% | 0.0% proxy | 142 mi |
| 2001archive | 118 | 59.0% | 0.0% proxy | 118 mi |
| 2000archive | 117 | 62.4% | 0.0% proxy | 122 mi |
| 1999archive‡ | 53 | 62.3% | 0.0% proxy | 124 mi |
| 1998archive | 111 | 64.0% | 0.0% proxy | 124 mi |
| 1997archive | 111 | 59.5% | 0.0% proxy | 125 mi |
| 1996archive | 106 | 56.2% | 0.0% proxy | 125 mi |
| 1995archive | 96 | 53.7% | 0.0% proxy | 142 mi |
| 1994archive | 97 | 60.8% | 0.0% proxy | 111 mi |
| 1993archive | 80 | 67.5% | 0.0% proxy | 111 mi |
| 1992archive | 76 | 65.8% | 0.0% proxy | 111 mi |
| 1991archive | 90 | 61.4% | 0.0% proxy | 128 mi |
| 1990archive‡ | 63 | 54.8% | 0.0% proxy | 142 mi |
| 1989archive‡ | 55 | 47.3% | 0.0% proxy | 172 mi |
| 1988archive | 100 | 46.0% | 0.0% proxy | 156 mi |
| 1987archive | 88 | 44.3% | 0.0% proxy | 158 mi |
| 1986archive | 88 | 43.7% | 0.0% proxy | 157 mi |
| 1985archive | 85 | 44.0% | 0.0% proxy | 160 mi |
| 1984archive | 75 | 50.0% | 0.0% proxy | 131 mi |
| 1983archive | 81 | 58.2% | 0.0% proxy | 126 mi |
| 1982archive | 86 | 61.2% | 0.0% proxy | 116 mi |
| 1981archive | 86 | 63.1% | 0.0% proxy | 111 mi |
| 1980archive | 79 | 55.1% | 0.0% proxy | 122 mi |
| 1979archive‡ | 33 | 66.7% | 0.0% proxy | 105 mi |
| 1978archive‡ | 61 | 42.6% | 0.0% proxy | 160 mi |
| 1977archive‡ | 49 | 38.8% | 0.0% proxy | 151 mi |
| 1976archive‡ | 48 | 41.7% | 0.0% proxy | 138 mi |
| 1975archive | 83 | 41.0% | 0.0% proxy | 142 mi |
| 1974archive‡ | 44 | 40.9% | 0.0% proxy | 161 mi |
| 1973archive | 86 | 35.3% | 0.0% proxy | 146 mi |
| 1972archive | 86 | 38.8% | 0.0% proxy | 160 mi |
| 1971archive | 75 | 55.6% | 0.0% proxy | 133 mi |
| 1970archive | 104 | 50.0% | 0.0% proxy | 152 mi |
| 1969archive | 80 | 40.5% | 0.0% proxy | 225 mi |
| 1968archive‡ | 67 | 32.2% | 0.0% proxy | 226 mi |
| 1964archive | 86 | 53.5% | 0.0% proxy | 122 mi |
| 1963archive | 84 | 46.4% | 0.0% proxy | 148 mi |
| 1962archive | 76 | 40.8% | 0.0% proxy | 172 mi |
| 1961archive‡ | 69 | 52.9% | 0.0% proxy | 148 mi |
| 1960archive‡ | 66 | 49.2% | 0.0% proxy | 204 mi |
| 1959archive | 77 | 50.0% | 0.0% proxy | 198 mi |
‡ fewer than 70 roster rows or under 75% known home state — treat with caution.
archive = official athletic-site roster. “Proxy” is the share listing a previous school where that field behaved like a transfer field; it is not the same measure as detected transfer stock.
Where the roster grew up
Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.
Homecoming Radius: 412 mi
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