About Inside Carolina
Inside Carolina is universally viewed as the authority on Tar Heel sports and recruiting. With relentless, unparalleled year-round coverage, and the 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. The Inside Carolina staff is composed of experienced, professional reporters 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.
What They’re Saying About Inside Carolina
“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 and On3
“Inside Carolina is simply the best at what they do. Phenomenal leadership, innovative approach to serving fans, and elite journalistic integrity. … Their leadership group is the standard bearer for how to run a team site.” — Adam Stanco, 247Sports VP
Meet The Staff
Tommy Ashley: Tommy is the coordinator 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.
Greg Barnes: Greg was Inside Carolina’s beat writer from 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.
John Bauman: After interning at Inside Carolina, John returned for a multi-faceted role, producing and hosting On The Beat Live, while serving as content manager for the YouTube channel.
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.
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.
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.
Jeremiah Holloway: Jeremiah joined the staff 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.
Sherrell McMillan: Sherrell has been the basketball recruiting director for the last decade and contributed to Inside Carolina’s hoops recruiting coverage for the decade prior. He’s developed a network of contacts and sources that have made him the leading expert on UNC Basketball recruiting.
Buck Sanders: Buck acquired the publication in 2000 and has operated the business for 25 years. He’s a regular contributor to the site’s football coverage, authoring a regular column for subscribers, “Buck Stops Here,” and appearing on The Day After show.
Jon Seiglie: Jon has played a major part in the development of the podcast network, including hosting, editing, and on-location work. He is now the podcast producer, responsible for all post-production and publishing work on each new podcast.
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.
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.
Jason Staples: When it comes to football analysis, Jason has led the way at Inside Carolina for the past decade. As a former player and coach with a scouting specialty, he brings unique perspective to shows and articles. His in-season film sessions, game previews and postgame breakdowns are staples of the site’s coverage. And in the offseason his individual scouting reports on every single contributor on the team are an annual tradition and reader favorite.
Taylor Vippolis: Taylor went from wide receiver on the UNC football team to the program’s digital content director and on-air analyst. His versatile digital contributions have continued at Inside Carolina, providing analysis and news by way of video reports and podcasts.
Analysts: Adrian Atkinson, Joel Berry, Dewey Burke, Rob Harrington, Justin Jackson, Trevor Marks, Sean Moran, Jeff Schoettmer
Specialists: Matt Clements, Grace Nugent, Joey Powell, Zach Read, Evan Rogers, Jordan Sain
Interns: Spencer Haskell, Cade Shoemaker
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 site that would provide its readers the most comprehensive, objective, independent, professional coverage, with a thriving, welcoming community. Click here for the Inside Carolina oral history.
In Memoriam
J.B. Cissell was an integral member of Inside Carolina from 1998-2019, as an editor in the magazine, a versatile contributor to the web site, and then manager of the video studio. He was a do-it-all staffer, with a special knack for interviewing, and was friendly and supportive to everyone he encountered. Learn more about J.B. and the memorial fund created in his memory, which benefits local youth: Remembering J.B. Cissell