Former Tennessee receiver Nathan Leacock left the Volunteer program back in December before the Vols fell to Ohio State in the opening round of the College Football Playoffs.
Leacock landed in the Big 10 at a struggling Purdue program but didn’t last long in West Lafayette, entering the transfer portal again in late April. After spending over a month in the portal, Leacock committed to North Carolina football on Sunday night.
Transferring to North Carolina is a homecoming of sorts for Leacock. A Raleigh native, Leacock ranked as a four-star recruit, the No. 76 player in the country and No. 3 player in the state of North Carolina according to the 247sports composite rankings.
The 6-foot-3 receiver made little impact on the field in his two seasons in Knoxville. Leacock played just seven snaps while redshirting during the 2023 season. He played 45 total snaps in three games during the 2024 season while catching one pass for 13 yards in Tennessee’s win over Chattanooga. Leacock earned a 61.7 PFF grade in his 45 snaps during the 2024 season.
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Leacock is the second former Tennessee receiver to transfer to North Carolina in the spring portal window. Former Vols’ walk-on receiver Dayton Sneed committed to the Tar Heels earlier this spring after hitting the portal ahead of the Orange & White game.
The pair of receivers join a North Carolina program that will firmly be in the spotlight this fall under first year head coach Bill Belichick. It’s unclear how competitive North Carolina will be this season but the Tar Heels play in a weak ACC and could make real noise in the conference.
Leacock was one of six Tennessee receivers to enter the transfer portal this offseason along with Squirrel White, Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod, Sneed and Nate Spillman. White landed at Florida State, Webb landed at Maryland, Nimrod landed at South Florida and Spillman landed at Charlotte.
