North Carolina Tar Heels defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude will return Saturday against the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish after missing the past two games with a hand/wrist injury. His return gives UNC football its 2025 ACC sack leader back for a marquee home matchup at Kenan Memorial Stadium.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel took to X, formerly Twitter, Saturday morning to report the news, citing an ESPN source. Abou Jaoude had remained limited while working his way back from the injury.
The following story is in development and will be updated shortly.
Article Continues BelowNEWS: UNC star defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude will play for UNC today against Notre Dame, per an ESPN source. He’d been out with a hand/wrist injury and missed the Clemson game. He led the ACC in sacks per game last year. pic.twitter.com/cXT4fXKPEC
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 3, 2026