By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Derek McDonald was at a Buc-ee’s parking lot in Florida, unsure where the next step in his football journey would take him when he got a phone call.
He might have had his mind on a brisket sandwich, but that quickly changed.
“I got a call from a Massachusetts number, and it’s like, ‘Hey, this is Bill Belichick,’ “ McDonald said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know who you are.’ It’s pretty surreal, but it’s been amazing — just the knowledge he has and the passion he has for the game. When he told me he watched my film and he wanted me to be a part of this team.”
After that day, the 6–4, 230-pound linebacker’s decision to continue his career as a graduate student at Carolina after being at Syracuse since 2021 was “an easy decision.”
The moment was significant enough that McDonald remembers who he called first.
“Probably my mom and dad, but my brother was actually in the car. He was right next to us,” McDonald said.
Coming off a season-ending hip injury that limited him to four games last season, McDonald has focused on the process of getting back on the field. The NCAA granted him a medical redshirt, then he entered the transfer portal on Dec. 9 and committed to Carolina on Jan. 10.
“Definitely learned a lot from that process. That’s just a part of football. Obviously, everyone goes through injuries, but I’m just excited to get back on the field,” McDonald said. “You have to learn how to deal with adversity playing this game and going through ups and downs, so it was just another obstacle in the road. But rehabs are hard. I’m just ready to get back out there and play ball.”
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After playing two games in 2021, his first season at Syracuse, he worked his way from a fourth-string linebacker in 2022 to starting eight games with 43 tackles, one interception and a sack. He combined in the 2023 and 2024 seasons for 122 tackles in 26 games, collecting a career-high 10 tackles in an Oct. 14, 2023, loss at Florida State.
The only time he played against UNC was when he had seven tackles on Oct. 7, 2023, in a 40–7 loss in Chapel Hill.
McDonald is stepping into a linebacker room that returns little production from a season ago, but he’s confident in the group Carolina has built.
“We’re just focused on getting better every day. We have a group of really hungry guys, guys that do everything the right way,” McDonald said. “We’ve come in this offseason with a great work ethic, and we’ve really grown together. I feel really confident in the guys that we brought in, the guys that are already here, and just our growth as a unit, because we’ve come a long way, and I think we’re really leading the defense.”
Playing behind an experienced pass rush has McDonald optimistic about the group in front of him.
“We have a lot of guys in the rush. I think we have a lot of speed on the edge this year,” McDonald said.
He highlighted graduate Richmond transfer Donovan Joilette Jr. and redshirt sophomore Penn State transfer Jaylen Harvey.
“Donovan Hoilette is a super good player. He’s super experienced as well. Jalen Harvey is really explosive, really fast,” McDonald said. “Whether it’s interior or the edge guys, we have a lot of guys that can win one-on-one. So, it’s going to be exciting to watch that.”
Working under inside linebackers coach Jamie Collins has given McDonald a different kind of perspective, one shaped by Collins’ playing career. Collins played 10 years in the NFL, mostly for New England, making the Pro Bowl in 2015.
“It’s really cool for me because he, more than any coach I’ve ever had, understands what we go through as linebackers,” McDonald said. “His experience is unbelievable, and he has those little pieces of advice, those tidbits that I don’t think you can get anywhere else. He really knows what he’s talking about, and he knows what it’s like to be a linebacker and the things we have to work on every day. So, it’s been very helpful.”
McDonald credited the defensive staff as a whole for the group’s early progress in camp.
“Honestly, we have a great defensive staff, and we have so much experience out there,” McDonald said. “Everyone’s just stepping up and filling in that role, but they’ve all been working super hard, and we made it work pretty well. I think they’ve done a great job.”
His years in the ACC have also given him something to offer the younger players around him. Settling into a new locker room could have been difficult, but McDonald said the transition was smooth from the start.
“I think everyone was pretty accepting, to be honest with you. [Defensive end] Melkart [Abou Jaoude] was right there the second I got here,” McDonald said. “We want the defense to be on the same page; we want to be able to make those communications, so he was excited to get some linebackers in here.”
Competition inside the linebacker room has been a driving force through the first stretch of camp.
“We talk about it a lot, but competition is an iron sharpens iron situation, right? So every time you’re competing, everyone’s out there getting better,” McDonald said. “They’re trying to be better than the guy across from them, so it helps us. Even if you lose, you look at the film, and you win, or you can get better for the next time. I think we’ve been very competitive throughout the first seven or eight days of camp, and just continuing to bring that competitive edge every day will help us grow this team.”
One relationship in particular has stood out early in camp: his bond with linebacker Peyton Seelmann, a junior transfer from Richmond and his roommate.
“He’s one of my best friends,” McDonald said. “I think it’s the heart the guy has, how hard he plays, and he belongs up there. Every time we’re out there together, it feels like we played football together for years. He plays super hard, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s a true linebacker, so it’s just great having him on the field.”
That chemistry has carried off the field as easily as it has shown up between the hashes, according to McDonald.
“It’s translated very quickly. We do a lot of work on communication, on just making checks and getting to do stuff like that,” McDonald said. “We both love football, so we love talking about it. We go home and watch film together, so it works very well.”
Facing a new offensive scheme in practice with first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino each day has tested McDonald and the rest of the defense, but he said the challenge has been part of what makes the transition worthwhile.
“You can tell he’s been at it for a while. We put something new in, we think we got it, and then he comes back the next day, and you have to figure it out again,” McDonald said. “He’s a super experienced coordinator, and he’s been very successful for a reason. So it’s exciting seeing what the offense could do and seeing what he brings to the table. But it’s fun, because every day is a challenge for us to adjust and learn how to defeat it.”
A path paved from a Buc-ee’s parking lot.
Photo via cuse.com
