CHAPEL HILL — In the last five years of North Carolina football under Mack Brown, it seems as if success in any aspect of the game comes with a price.
To have an explosive offense means to have a lackluster defense.
To have a top-20 recruiting class means to finish the season unranked.
To have one of the best quarterbacks in the country means to not have an ACC title.
The Tar Heels have notoriously teased its fans with hot starts to the season, only to have meaningful postseason hopes flushed due to inconsistency and the lack of complementary football.
In many ways, 2024 ushers in a new era for the Tar Heels who will look to put together a complete team and a complete season.
Last year
Quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, returned for his sophomore season alongside a talented corps of weapons at the receiver, tight end and running back positions. Although they went without transfer receiver, Tez Walker, for the first four games of the season, the Tar Heels started 6-0, including a 41-31 home victory over No. 25 Miami in which made an ACC title and possible College Football Playoff contention seem somewhat in reach.
It all changed in the next week in which No. 10 UNC lost to a 1-5 Virginia team at home and followed that with a loss to unranked Georgia Tech. With chances to redeem the season against Clemson and NC State also slipping away, UNC ended up losing four out of its last six regular season games to finish 8-4. The Tar Heels lost to West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Changes and newcomers
With Maye moving on to the NFL, the biggest change for the Tar Heels will be at the quarterback position.
Conner Harrell, a sophomore, and Max Johnson, a graduate transfer from Texas A&M, were originally just competing with each other for the QB1 title in the spring, but Jacolby Criswell’s return from Arkansas should shake things up ahead of week one.
UNC also parted ways with former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik and former defensive line coach Tim Cross, replacing them with Geoff Collins and Ted Monachino, respectively.
While UNC lost some skill players to the transfer portal, including running backs Elijah Green and George Pettaway, tight end Kamari Morales and linebacker Sebastian Cheeks, the Tar Heels are also bringing in four offensive linemen: Austin Blaske (Georgia), Howard Sampson (North Texas), Zach Greenberg (Muhlenberg) and Jakiah Leftwich (Georgia Tech).
Players to watch
UNC’s experienced receiving corps of McCollum, Kobe Paysour, J.J. Jones and tight end Bryson Nesbit should be in for huge year, especially with the need to replace Walker’s production.
The Tar Heels will also return 2023 Doak Walker Award finalist Omarion Hampton.
Defensively, it should be interesting to see how linebacker Power Echols will lead the Tar Heels after the departure of last year’s tackles leader Cedric Gray. Edge rusher Kaimon Rucker is also returning after leading UNC with 8.5 sacks last year.
Best case
Collins finds harmony between the talent on UNC’s defense and scheme, and the Tar Heels become more serious ACC contenders at the end of the season than it has in the past. Consistency will be more of a key than ever this year, especially with a new quarterback taking the reins and putting more pressure on the defense to impact winning.
Worst case
The defense performs the same or worse than last year, making the tough games ugly, and the other ones too close for comfort. A miss at the starting quarterback position or a non-conference slip up also derails the season before ACC play.
Key Games
UNC has a favorable non-conference schedule, but the quest for a trip to the ACC title game in December won’t be easy.
Sept. 21 vs. James Madison — This has “trap game” written all over it as it’s the third straight home game following bouts with Charlotte and FCS opponent NC Central. JMU has gone 19-6 since joining FBS in 2022.
Nov. 2 vs. Florida State — Should the start of ACC play go well for UNC, this will be a chance to make a statement and strengthen its resume for postseason purposes.
Nov. 30 vs. NC State — This game could be for a spot in the ACC championship game, or it could just be for school pride as the Wolfpack have beaten the Tar Heels three straight times.
Outlook
While it’s hard to replace the impact of Maye, UNC still has plenty of pieces on both sides of the ball that can make for a very good football team. This year should be about getting over the hump and finally reaping the benefits of the talent and coaching that has come through Chapel Hill.
