Eric Church can’t wait to “go home” in May and deliver the commencement speech for the class of 2026 at the University of North Carolina. The “Hands of Time” singer was born in Granite Falls, North Carolina, and has been a lifelong fan of the Tar Heels. You’ll often see Chief sporting Carolina blue, or taking in an athletic event at Chapel Hill. And there’s no doubt that Church is a huge supporter of his home state. He and Luke Combs (also a North Carolina native) did tremendous work for hurricane relief through their “Concert For Carolina” event, which raised over $24 million for the state’s disaster relief efforts. As he told the University of North Carolina, he carries him home state with him through everything that he does: “Early on in my career, I traveled a lot. Even though I was tired, every night at 3 or 4 a.m. I would stay up to watch Carolina basketball just to feel closer to home. To this day, I carry North Carolina with me wherever I am. North Carolina — it’s home, right?” His fandom simply cannot be questioned. He once canceled a sold-out concert of his just so he could watch his Tarheels defeat arch rival Duke in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. He truly bleeds Carolina blue. So Church was absolutely honored when UNC asked him to deliver the 2026 Spring Commencement address. Is the country star an alumni of the university? No, he is not (he actually graduated from App State). But is there anyone out there that loves North Carolina more than Eric Church? I highly doubt it… especially when you hear what he has to say about it: “I’m a born, bred, dead guy. I can’t really remember a time when my identity wasn’t being a North Carolina fan. I didn’t know a lot about myself at 7 or 8, but I knew I was a Tar Heel. That’s the way I was raised. My dad would even introduce us as Tar Heels. I knew I wasn’t Wolfpack, and I wasn’t a Blue Devil. I was a Tar Heel. My entire life has been built around being a Tar Heel.” And now, Eric Church will deliver a speech to young, college graduates who have built their education and young experience as Tar Heels. On the night of May 9, 2026, the Chief will take the stage at Kenan Stadium to deliver a speech to graduates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Church can’t express how honored he is to have been selected as the speaker: “Being asked to be the Commencement speaker at North Carolina is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever had. Being a Tar Heel ‘born, bred, dead’ and knowing what the school has meant to me and my family, it’s surreal. To be able to be there and celebrate the future, the students at the University of North Carolina as they go onto their next journey, I’m honored to do it, and I can’t wait to see everybody there.” View this post on Instagram Shout to the class of 2026 at UNC! Just a few more weeks until you officially graduate, and it doesn’t get much cooler than celebrating that with Eric Church himself.The post Eric Church’s Passion For North Carolina Drives His Excitement To Deliver UNC Commencement Speech: “I’m A Born, Bred, Dead Guy” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.