UNC Football: Tar Heels Land Gigantic Tackle From Transfer Portal

Howard Sampson, a former three-star recruit out of Texas, pledged his UNC football allegiance this weekend.

Photo credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

In early December, former North Texas offensive tackle Howard Sampson entered the transfer portal. Less than a week later, he visited the UNC football program, as the Tar Heels looked to shore up their line for next season.

However, shortly after his trip to Chapel Hill, the 6-foot-8, 325-pound giant initially chose TCU as his next destination.

He's since decommitted from the Horned Frogs, though. And on Sunday afternoon, Sampson announced his commitment to the Tar Heels via the following post on social media:

After redshirting his first year at North Texas, Sampson saw action in only two contests for the Mean Green as a redshirt freshman this past season, matching his number of appearances in 2022.

As a promising prep in the 2022 class, the Humble High School (Texas) three-star ranked No. 193 among offensive tackles and No. 259 overall in his state on the 247Sports 2022 Composite.

Howard Sampson is the Tar Heels' fifth addition from the transfer portal this go-round. He joins two former Texas A&M siblings in quarterback Max Johnson and tight end Jake Johnson, along with former Georgia offensive lineman Austin Blaske and NC State safety Jakeen Harris.

Meanwhile, UNC football head coach Mack Brown and his crew, set to welcome a 27-deep 2024 recruiting haul that ranks No. 27 in the country, have seen 14 players from the 2023 team transfer out of the program.

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Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC football recruiting news.