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After North Carolina learned that rising sophomore running back Demon June is returning after showing promise as a true freshman, the Tar Heels received more good news on the defensive side of the ball.
UNC announced Friday afternoon that sophomore defensive back Jaiden Patterson will return in 2026. That is significant for the Tar Heels, as he is one of the few defensive players outside the line who logged major snaps last season, and the secondary is already thin.
In 12 games (six starts), Patterson logged 473 snaps and made 34 tackles, including 2.0 for loss, with one interception and five pass breakups. In 290 coverage snaps, he allowed 25 catches on 38 targets for 259 yards, gave up no touchdowns, broke up five passes and forced five incompletions. He held opposing quarterbacks to a 74.3 passer rating.
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Before Patterson’s move to cornerback, he lined up all over the field as a defensive back, logging snaps on the defensive line, in the box, at free safety and in the slot. He did not play cornerback until the Clemson game, which also marked his first start.
“Coach Brian (Belichick) preached as soon as he got here, and Coach Steve (Belichick), that you have to show you’re versatile,” Patterson said during the season.
“All the defensive backs know what the corner has to do, and they know what the ‘star’ has to do, and they know what the safety has to do. You show that you know and you’re paying attention and you know what they’re doing — writing everything down in film — they’re going to trust you to play whatever position you can excel at …
“Coach Brian (Belichick) preached as soon as he got here, and Coach Steve (Belichick), that you have to show you’re versatile,” Patterson said during the season.
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“All the defensive backs know what the corner has to do, and they know what the ‘star’ has to do, and they know what the safety has to do. You show that you know and you’re paying attention and you know what they’re doing — writing everything down in film — they’re going to trust you to play whatever position you can excel at …”
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Football: Rising DB will return for 2026
