Thanks to four wins across their first six games, the North Carolina Tar Heels are surprising many who pay close attention to college football.

UNC (4-2, 2-1 ACC) upset archrival Duke, 24-20, on the road last weekend. Wide receiver Jordan Shipp continued his recent tear, leading North Carolina's offense with 75 yards and a touchdown catch, while defensive tackle Xavier Lewis recorded two tackles, a half-sack and half-TFL apiece.

Shipp and Lewis are two of the Tar Heels' main reasons behind their current success, recently earning recognition for their contributions. Lewis earned a spot on The Sporting News' Midseason All-America Team, while Shipp is a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.

This honor continues a busy week of honors for Lewis, who previously earned himself a spot on the Lombardi Award Midseason Watch List, plus a spot on the Associated Press' Midseason All-America First Team. Lewis already has 30 tackles (14 solo), a team-leading 10 TFLs and seven sacks, the latter two figures which rank Top-3 nationally.

Shipp is quickly proving himself as a reliable, star-level pass-catcher and leader across the entire UNC roster, recording a team-high 33 catches and 441 receiving yards through six games. In his past three outings, Shipp has 227 yards and caught his first 2026 touchdown.

North Carolina's next test comes this Saturday against Syracuse, which sits in the conference cellar without an ACC win. The Orange (2-4, 0-2 ACC) are better than their record shows, winning just one of their four, one-score games.

Will the Tar Heels win their first night game this season? If so, expect Shipp and Lewis to deliver major impacts under the Kenan Stadium lights.