Luka Bogavac Update, UNC Football Training Camp, Seyon Keita, Women's Hoops, and More
There's more clarity on UNC Basketball commit Luka Bogavac's immigration status, and Tar Heel Football is set to kick off
A HUGE thank you to the more than 1,000 readers who have subscribed to the Tar Heel Times newsletter over the past week! The support has been overwhelming, and I’m excited to grow this endeavor even further as we approach kickoff for the 2025-26 UNC sports season. On to the updates…
Football
Football season is officially here following last week’s ACC Kickoff media event in Charlotte. And as you can tell from the top photo, new UNC coach Bill Belichick was the center of attention.
Because of that attention, you can expect to see a lot of UNC Football on ESPN Networks this season, beginning with the first game as ESPN broadcasts live from Chapel Hill for its prime-time Labor Day night kickoff against TCU:
“ESPN networks are poised to show 8, if not 10, of Belichick’s first games as UNC coach, sources tell Front Office Sports.“
The official start date for Carolina football practice is Saturday, Aug. 2. The program says it will not release a full August practice schedule at the outset, but instead will do so weekly.
Nine Tar Heels have been added to the East-West Shrine Bowl watch list. It’s a shame that I only recognize about half the names on the list this year. I guess this transfer portal thing is going to take some getting used to, but I’ve updated the 2025 UNC Football roster if it helps.
Local and national media aren’t the only ones captivated by Belichick. NC State quarterback CJ Bailey is already trash talking the 6-time Super Bowl-winning head coach:
“Shoot, Bill Belichick will get it, too. We’re going five years (in a row). No matter who the coach is for UNC, we’re going to kick them,” Bailey said. “It means a lot that I could play against Bill Belichick. But if he comes to play, we’re going to kill them.”
Finally, two Belichick autographed UNC helmets were auctioned off for $3,500 each at last week’s Pigskin Preview event in Raleigh…by far the highest bids.
Football Recruiting
Mark your calendars. High-priority UNC defensive line recruit Viliami Moala will announce his commitment on Friday, Aug. 1. Moala decommitted from Oregon on July 7th. Oklahoma appears to be the other top contender in his recruitment.
It’s short notice, but UNC Football commits Zavion Griffin-Hayes and his brother Jayden Griffin-Haynes are holding a Toy Drive on Thursday, July 31 for Wake Med Children’s Hospital. A couple of class acts coming to Kenan Stadium:
For more on UNC’s football recruiting class, check out the updated 2026 recruiting board, and there’s a great roundup from On3.com on what the Tar Heels have compiled in this class.
Basketball
Now for the latest on Montenegrin UNC basketball commit Luka Bogavac.
Isaac Schade shared an update from Inside Carolina’s Sherrell McMillan that Bogavac is scheduled to have his interview at the U.S. Consulate in Montenegro this week.
If his documentation is complete and his student visa is approved, he could immediately travel to North Carolina and join the team. The final hurdle after that would be to receive clearance from the NCAA, and we’re all familiar with how that can go (Tez Walker). Here’s Schade’s discussion of the matter:
And since Bogavac remains overseas awaiting his student visa approval, he missed the Tar Heels’ annual team bonding trip to the Outer Banks. Here’s an Instagram travelogue posted by the team.
Speaking of travel, two UNC basketball alumni have found their new overseas teams for next season.
2017 NCAA Champion Isaiah Hicks is still going strong and is off to play in South Korea, having just wrapped up a season in Puerto Rico…
…while Jae’Lyn Withers is heading to the Netherlands to begin his professional basketball career with Den Bosch:
For more, here’s the complete list of all Tar Heels playing in the NBA and overseas.
Basketball Recruiting
There’s a new name on the 2027 UNC Basketball recruiting board.
International 7-footer Seyon Keita will take a visit to UNC on Saturday, Aug. 1. Keita hails from Barcelona, Spain but is a native of Mali in west Africa. I appears he’s touring all the Blue Bloods, including Kansas, Kentucky, UConn, Indiana (are they still a Blue-Blood?), and Duke. He appears to be a raw talent with 5-star potential. Here are some highlights:
Women’s Basketball
There’s been a slew of scheduling news regarding UNC Women’s Basketball, even though the non-conference schedule has yet to be released. The Tar Heels will face South Carolina in an Oct. 30 exhibition in Atlanta, they’ll travel to events in Cancun and Las Vegas, and they’ll play Tennessee in a closed scrimmage. Trips to Cancun and Vegas? Yes, please!
It’s an extremely tough non-conference schedule so far, and here’s what the Tar Heels are up against:
Tennessee (closed scrimmage)
No. 1 South Carolina (Atlanta - exhibition)
No. 3 Texas (ACC-SEC Challenge)
No. 4 UCLA (Las Vegas)
No. 23 Kansas State (Cancun)
South Dakota State (Cancun)
Columbia (Cancun)
Fairfield (Las Vegas)
And much like the former men’s players, several UNC Women’s Basketball alumnae have found new professional homes overseas:
Alyssa Ustby - Italy
Lexi Donarski - Hungary
Maria Gakdeng - Hungary and South Sudan national team
Grace Townsend - Sweden
And while she’s not playing overseas, UNC guard Sydney Barker is heading to Vietnam for three weeks as part of “Coach for College” to work with Vietnamese youth.
Ustby and former UNC guard Carlie Littlefield also ventured to Bucharest, Romania and won silver at the FIBA 3×3 Series a couple of weeks ago. Tar Heels are everywhere!
Poll
Tar Heel Tidbits
Finally, it's nice to see that former UNC starting safety Ja'Qurious Conley has found his footing playing for his hometown Charlotte 49ers after overcoming so many struggles.
“It was far from a smooth road - suffering a torn ACL and MCL in 2021 and working through a multi-year recovery, hitting the transfer portal and spending a year away from the game in 2023, having his eligibility revoked the day before the 2024 season and playing in just six games after the ruling was overturned.“
Up Next
Once again, there was too much to cram into one newsletter. So, on Monday look for more updates on recruiting, football training camp, basketball, baseball, Olympic sports updates, any new developments on the Luka Bogavac situation, and more.
Final Thoughts
As a reminder, this newsletter will remain free through the end of August, giving you a chance to see what it’s all about while giving me time to dial in the content that’s most valuable to you. Starting Labor Day, it will switch to a paid model: $5/month or $50/year, with a 1-week free trial you can cancel anytime.
So, why the paid subscription model? It’s simple. Tar Heel Times will always remain a free website, but this newsletter is something new—more personal, more focused, and directly supported by readers like you. It’s a clean, ad-free UNC digest delivered straight to your inbox, without clutter or clickbait. Your support helps cover the time and effort it takes to put it all together.
During this free stretch, I’d love to hear your feedback. My goal is to make this a two-way connection, shaped by the Carolina fan community that’s kept Tar Heel Times going for over 20 years.
Go Heels, and a sincere thank you to the many of our over 1,000 subscribers who have already become paid supporters.
James
Outstanding, James. We have messaged back and forth for many years and you have always been responsive. Your site I visit first thing every morning and often a couple of times a day when things are happening. It is THE go-to place for news about my Heels (class of '77) and so easy to reach from here in Ecuador.
Remember, though, that UNC is a Woman's Sports School, like Dean said. Keep these National Champions and the rest of the ladies well covered. They deserve it.
And, now, I click over to that subscribe thing! WELL worth the investment. Thanks.