Chansky’s Notebook: The Irish Dream

Posted Sep 24, 2020
UNC punter Ben Kiernan grew up in Dublin on rugby and had never seen a game of American football, much less played one. His parents moved their family to Raleigh before Ben’s last year in middle school and he went out for the football team pretty much as a lark. He later went to a Charlotte kicking camp run by former Tar Heel kicker Dan Orner. (Chapelboro.com)

Related: Football, Football Recruiting

Video: UNC Football 2026 Preview with Bill Belichick, Jordan Shipp, Melkart Abou Jaoude
Bill Belichick enters year two in Chapel Hill. Defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude returns to help anchor the UNC defense, and wide receiver Jordan Shipp...
Sat Aug 8, 2026

Bill Belichick Breaks Down Four Key UNC Defenders
UNC Football opened Week 2 of training camp Thursday morning at the Koman Practice Complex and there’s still plenty to learn about the Tar Heels’...
Sat Aug 8, 2026

Power Echols Signs With Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks signed linebacker Power Echols on Friday. Echols, a three-year starter and a team captain at North Carolina, initially came into the league...
Sat Aug 8, 2026

A Bill Belichick call at Buc-ee’s changed UNC LB Derek McDonald’s football path
Derek McDonald was at a Buc-ee’s in Florida, unsure where the next step in his football journey would take him when he got a phone...
Sat Aug 8, 2026