Derek McDonald
North Carolina Tar Heels
82
Good

Derek McDonald

North Carolina Tar HeelsSolid
MLBDefenseGoodTRANSFER · Syracuse
Projected Starter

Is Derek McDonald starting?

Derek McDonald is the projected starter at MLB for North Carolina Tar Heels.

Derek McDonald is the projected starting MLB on a Solid North Carolina — 82 OVR.

See full North Carolina Tar Heels depth chart ›

Depth at MLB · North Carolina Tar Heels

  1. 11582Derek McDonaldStarter
  2. 2874Jonathan Agumadu
  3. 39564Daniel Anderson

What's Next

Who do they play next?Sammy Brown — at Clemson · Sat, Sep 19Who's the backup?Jonathan Agumadu — No. 2 at MLB for North CarolinaHow do they compare?Pick an opponent for North Carolina Tar Heels

The Story

Making His Case

This season: 6 tackles, 0 TFL, 0 sacks. That's 1% of the team's production at his spot — good for a 82 overall (Good tier).

Team Share1%
Atlanta, GA
Jersey
#15
Class
GR/TR
Height
6'4"
Weight
230 lbs
Transfer
Syracuse

Stats

SeasonTklTFLSacks
—600

Regular-season totals from public sources. Derived splits (completion %, yards per carry, catch rate) aren't available in our current dataset.

Why this rating?

On a 85-rated defense; 34th-percentile production at transfer origin (×0.89 for competition level) put them -3 vs unit starters → 82.

Team defense (SP+)
85
Rating basis
On-field stats
Production (prior school)
Outperforms 34% of peers
Recruiting pedigree
Top 26% recruit
Strength of schedule
Faces easier competition — rating adjusted down (×0.89)
Depth-chart adjustment
-3 for role

2026 projection — based on SP+ (a respected team-efficiency metric; 2026 not published yet, using 2025), 2025 production, recruiting, and the 2026 transfer portal; capped to depth-chart order.

2026 Game Log

Sep 12WETSUTKL 3
TKL
3
SOLO
1
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 35-3

Aug 29WTCUTKL 11
TKL
11
SOLO
4
SACK
0
INT
0
PD
0

Final W 15-10

Derek McDonald's 2026 game-by-game stat log.

The People's Ratings

Is our 82 OVR fair?
82
Good
Vote to see what thousands of fans think

Team Role

6 tkl · 0 TFL · 0 sacks
Usage / Involvement100%
Coach North CarolinaTake them from week one to the natty. You call every play.

Overall ratings blend team strength (SP+), on-field production, and recruiting. Higher = more impactful.