5 stories in the last 30 days, from 5 outlets.
Derek McDonald is UNC’s player of the game against Syracuse
Tar Heel Blog +1 Oct 25
Derek Mcdonald
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Played for four head coaches at two programs in five seasons: Dino Babers, Nunzio Campanile, Fran Brown and Bill Belichick. A game that shows it: 16 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Syracuse — Week 8, 2026.
82 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
82 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 2 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 5 outlets
Derek McDonald is UNC’s player of the game against Syracuse
Tar Heel Blog +1 Oct 25 · 2 outlets
from 8 outlets
Derek McDonald is UNC’s player of the game against Syracuse
Tar Heel Blog +1 Oct 25 · 2 outlets
Sports IllustratedDerek McDonald Explains 'Hungry' 2026 North Carolina DefenseAug 7
247SportsDerek McDonald on the Edge Rushers, Leading the LB Room, Steve Belichick & MoreAug 10
The Fayetteville ObserverDerek McDonald discusses UNC football win vs Duke, Victory Bell celebrationOct 18Tar Heel Blog +1The Fayetteville ObserverSports Illustrated +1Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
North Carolina10 stories2026 to nowMost about: in his words, preview and matchup, starting job and depth chart.
Sports Illustrated +1How Newcomer Derek McDonald Fits in UNC's DefenseAug 11Tar Heel Blog +1Derek McDonald is UNC’s player of the game against SyracuseOct 25Sports IllustratedDerek McDonald Explains 'Hungry' 2026 North Carolina DefenseAug 7247SportsDerek McDonald on the Edge Rushers, Leading the LB Room, Steve Belichick & MoreAug 10
On3Derek McDonald Ready to Seize Final College Opportunity at UNCAug 10
Syracuse2 stories2022 to 2025Most about: profile and feature.
247SportsBreakdown: UNC LB Derek McDonaldJul 4Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | North Carolina | 82 | 31 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- |
| 2025 | Syracuse | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Syracuse | 50 | 26 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Syracuse | 61 | 28 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1 | -- |
| 2022 | Syracuse | 41 | 26 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 |
| Career | 240 | 115 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 11 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 15-10vs TCU | 11 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 35-3vs East Tennessee State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 20-28@ Clemson | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 5 | L 26-37vs No. 3 Notre Dame | 12 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 21-17@ No. 25 Pittsburgh | 12 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 24-20@ Duke | 7 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 30-31vs Syracuse | 16 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 16 tackles |
| Wk 9 | L 35-38vs No. 1 Miami | 11 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 82 | 31 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
Oct. 31 · L 35-38 vs Miami, play by play
11 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 12 for him; the box score credits 11.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, in the 8 games with play by play.
How North Carolina’s defense played that day
16 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 17 for him; the box score credits 16.
7 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
A big game: 12 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
A big game: 12 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
10 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 9 of his 10, sacks included.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
11 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 10 of his 11, sacks included.
Week 6 · 2026
W 21-17
at Pittsburgh
1 tackle for loss · 12 tackles · 6 solo tackles
A close one, won by 4 on the road.
Ratings of the games shown run from -3 to +25 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
82tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%2 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
2%2 pass breakups82 tackles · 2 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 10.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 9.7 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 9.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 13.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bill Belichick
Pass share
50.8%
241 pass / 233 run
Plays / game
59.2
8 games
Team sack rate
6.7%
267 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
82 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #189 at the position.
The No. 1,439 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the ACC as a graduate.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 45 games over five seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Dino Babers, Fran Brown and Bill Belichick.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to North Carolina
