North Carolina cornerback C.J. Cotman will medically retire after two seasons because of recurring migraines, the school announced Tuesday.
Cotman will stay in school and remain involved with the football program as he enters his junior year. He appeared in eight games in his career and had hoped for a more prominent role heading into the 2019 campaign under new head coach Mack Brown.
“C.J. is disappointed because he was playing really well,” Brown told reporters in comments published by 247sports.com. “I hate that for him and I hate it for us. We needed him, and we didn’t know that really until yesterday, so this is new for us. We’ve got to really look at our numbers there and see if that changes recruiting as well.”
Last week, another Tar Heels cornerback — rising senior K.J. Sails — entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.
“We only have five (cornerbacks) because we moved Corey Bell over to wide receiver,” Brown said. “He’s doing really well, so I’m excited about that move. I don’t know if we’ll have to move him back or not.”