CFB insider reports UNC to potentially join SEC as new wave of conference realignment hits ACC after Clemson & FSU dispute settles

College football insider Adam Smith of Inside Carolina believes the UNC Tar Heels are looking to join the SEC.

Multiple schools, including Clemson and FSU, have been frustrated with the ACC and have been linked to leaving the conference. Yet, Smith reports that UNC is actively looking at leaving the conference and has their eyes on the SEC.

"Multiple sources told IC, the SEC is where the Tar Heels are aiming under the leadership of Roberts and Newmark, should UNC move to leave the ACC for another league, perhaps in the near future," Smith wrote. "Sources said the 2030-31 school year, when the ACC's decreasing exit fees dip from $93 million to the flat $75 million threshold, would figure to become an important final line of demarcation, if the Tar Heels haven't made their departure sooner," Smith added.

The Tar Heels are one of the original member schools in the 1953 founding of the ACC, but UNC could soon be leaving the conference.

According to Smith, he exit fees to leave the ACC for UNC are as follows:

Revised Exit Fees Under ACC Settlement

• 2025-26: $165 million
• 2026-27: $147 million
• 2027-28: $129 million
• 2028-29: $111 million
• 2029-30: $93 million
• 2030-31: $75 million
• 2031-32: $75 million
• 2032-33: $75 million
• 2033-34: $75 million
• 2034-35: $75 million
• 2035-36: $75 million

As Smith notes, the 2030-31 academic year makes the most sense for UNC to leave the ACC, as it costs the least and the SEC is a logical landing spot.

ACC, Florida State & Clemson reach a settlement

Florida State and Clemson haven't been happy with the ACC, but they did reach a settlement.

FSU and Clemson didn't like the revenue-sharing model for the conference, and earlier this year, the schools and the ACC agreed to a settlement that changes the league's revenue distribution model and significantly reduces exit penalties for members wanting to leave the conference before 2036, according to ESPN.

"Today's resolution begins the next chapter of this storied league and further solidifies the ACC as a premier conference," Phillips said in a statement.... "The settlements, coupled with the ACC's continued partnership with ESPN, allow us to focus on our collective future -- including Clemson and Florida State -- united in an 18-member conference demonstrating the best in intercollegiate athletics."

For now, FSU, Clemson, and UNC will be a part of the ACC for the time being, but for how much longer is to be seen.

Edited by Cole Shelton