Jelani Thurman holds the TE · Depth spot in North Carolina Tar Heels’s tight end room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Jelani Thurman is a 6'6", 250-pound tight end from Fairburn, Georgia, who transfers to North Carolina as a redshirt junior. At Ohio State, he appeared in all 14 games during the 2025 season, recording seven receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown, including three catches for 44 yards with a score against Grambling. In 2024, he played in all 16 games for the national champions and had four receptions for 42 yards with one touchdown. As a true freshman in 2023, he redshirted after appearing in five games and caught two passes for 18 yards against Michigan State. Thurman was a four-star prospect out of Langston Hughes High School, where he caught 39 passes for 624 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.

Ohio State2023 – 2025

North Carolina2026 — present