Former St. Joseph football star transfers to North Carolina, joining Bill Belichick

Former St. Joseph football star Smith Vilbert is transferring to North Carolina for his final year of college eligibility, he announced Wednesday night on social media.

The Tar Heels are coached by Bill Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl champion who is starting his first college coaching job at 72 years old. Belichick recently made a recruiting trip to North Jersey.

In January, Vilbert was granted a seventh year of college eligibility and announced on social media that he planned to return to Penn State. He would have become Penn State's first seventh-year football player. Last month, he entered the transfer portal.

Vilbert, a backup lineman who grew up in Haiti, successfully petitioned the NCAA for a seventh season after missing the 2023 season and all but one game of the previous season to injury. He also did not play as a redshirt in 2019.

Vilbert won state championships with the Green Knights in 2016 and 2018. He was an All-North Jersey second-team selection in 2018.

He enjoyed his most active college season yet in 2024, playing in all 16 games and making 12 tackles with four for loss and 1.5 sacks − including an early tackle for loss in the College Football Playoff loss to Notre Dame. He also forced two fumbles this past season and recovered one.