Inside Carolina is universally viewed as the authority on Tar Heel sports and recruiting. With relentless, unparalleled year-round coverage, andthe largest online community of always-engaged UNC fans, the slogan is true: "There is no offseason at Inside Carolina."
Inside Carolina has been "The Independent Voice of UNC Sports" since 1994, and is a network partner with 247Sports and CBS Sports. The Inside Carolina staff is composed of experienced, professionalreporters and analysts whose job is to provide readers with objective coverage.The publication is independently owned and operated, and is not affiliated with the University. It is fully credentialed by UNC, the ACC and the NCAA.
"Inside Carolina is simply the best at what they do. Phenomenal leadership, innovative approach to serving fans, and elite journalistic integrity. ... Inside Carolina is a flagship organization for us and their leadership group is the standard bearer for how to run a team site." -- Adam Stanco, 247Sports VP
"Inside Carolina has tremendous respect as a news source and news breaker not only in the Carolina market, but in national media as well. They are the blueprint for how a team publication should be run and the gold standard for our industry." -- Shannon Terry, founder of Rivals & 247Sports
MEET THE STAFF
Tommy Ashley: Tommy is thecoordinator of the podcast network, while also hosting multiple shows each week,plus co-hosting the Inside Carolina Live tailgate show. He began with Inside Carolina in 1998, and maintained editorial duties in the magazine for nearly two decades. {email}
Greg Barnes: Greg was Inside Carolina's beat writerfrom 2007-22, establishing himself as the preeminent expert.He now makes weekly contributions as a columnist, podcast analyst, and co-host of the Next Level show. {email}
John Bauman:After interning at Inside Carolina,John has returnedfor a multi-faceted role, producing and hosting On The Beat Live, while serving as content manager for the YouTube channel. {email}
Don Callahan: Don is the full-time football recruiting analyst for the web site and widely recognized as the leading Tar Heel football recruiting expert. He has been on the Inside Carolina staff since 2003. Follow him on twitter at @DonCallahanIC{email}
Jim Hawkins: Jim is the lead photographer for all games, events and photo shoots. He has been photographing ACC sporting events since 1977 and has been a key contributor to the official UNC national championship books and media guides. {email}
Michelle Hillison: Michelle is the technical producer, covering a wide range of behind-the-scenes responsibilities, including creating graphics, editing photos, running giveaways, and overseeing third-party relationships. She played an integral role at UNCbasketball.com as assistant editor/producer and has been involved with sports web development for media groups since 1997. {email}
Jeremiah Holloway: Jeremiah joined thestaff in 2023 as a beat reporter to further bolster Inside Carolina's team coverage. He came to IC after a beat role at The State. {email}
Grant Hughes:Grant began at Inside Carolina as an intern and has continually worked his way into a larger role. He is nowthesocial media manager and 247Sports content editor, while also maintaining the daily newsletter. {email}
Sherrell McMillan: Sherrell was promoted to basketball recruiting director in 2016and has contributed to Inside Carolina's hoops recruiting coverage for two decades. He's developed a network of contacts and sources that have made him the leading expert on UNC Basketball recruiting. {email}
Buck Sanders: Buck is the president of Inside Carolina, having acquired the publication in 2000 and operatedthe business since. Throughout he's been a regular contributor to the site's football coverage. Now he authors a regular column for subscribers and appears on The Day After podcast. {email}
Jon Seiglie: Jon has played amajor part in the development ofthe podcast network, including hosting, editing, and on-location work. Heis nowthe podcast producer, responsible for all post-production and publishing work on each new podcast. {email}
Ben Sherman: Ben is the editor-in-chief of the site. He created and maintained UNCbasketball.com for five years, earning recognition from ESPN as the top college hoops team site, before merging with Inside Carolina in 2001. He served as lead editor for the Inside Carolina magazine's final 13 seasons. {email}
Adam Smith: Adam brings more than two decades of reporting experience to the beat writer role, which he began at Inside Carolina in 2022. He covers all basketball and football games, practices and press conferences. {email}
Taylor Vippolis: Taylorwent from wide receiver on the UNC football team to the program's digital content director and on-air analyst.His versatile digitalcontributions have continuedat Inside Carolina, providing analysis and news by way of video reports and podcasts.{email}
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Analysts: Adrian Atkinson, Dewey Burke, Justin Jackson, Trevor Marks, Sean Moran, Jeff Schoettmer, Jason Staples
Specialists: Matt Clements, Joey Powell, Jordan Sain, Trish Sanders
Longform: Zach Read
Interns: Evan Rogers, Sophie Watson
The History of Inside Carolina
Our version of Inside Carolina dates back to a merger in 2001 of The Tar Pit and UNCbasketball.com, with the goal of creating the ultimate UNC sports sitethat would provide its readers with the most comprehensive, objective, independent, professional coverage, with a thriving, welcoming community. Click here for the Inside Carolina origin story.
In Memoriam: J.B. Cissell
J.B. was an integral member of Inside Carolina from 1998-2019,as an editorin the magazine, a versatile contributor to the web site, and then manager ofthe video studio. He was a do-it-all staffer, with aspecial knack for interviewing, andwas friendly and supportive to everyone he encountered. For more, read: Remembering J.B. Cissell
