5 Positives Entering Fall Camp

With North Carolina’s football team opening fall camp Aug. 2, THI takes a look at five positives for the Tar Heels have heading in, as the first game in the new Mack Brown era is just a month away:

Running Back

There is no doubt UNC’s best group is at running back, so expect Michael Carter, Antonio Williams and Javonte Williams to get a ton of reps and touches. Carter is a possible pro, Antonio Williams is versatile and a terrific leader and Brown says Javonte Williams could be a star.

If this trio can stay healthy and Carter improves as a receiver, look for these guys to not just run the ball a lot but also catch plenty of passes. The air raid offense that Mike Leach runs at Washington State isn’t the one Phil Longo will employ in Chapel Hill. They will run the ball, and given the talent and depth in the backfield, that will be a very wise approach.

We won’t really know how many players will have hands on the ground or serve as de facto linemen until we see Jay Bateman’s defense in action for a few weeks, so there’s some uncertainty knowing just how many guys to include here. But let’s stick with the returning core:

Aaron Crawford in the middle of the line has All-ACC potential. Jason Strowbridge missed the spring but the staff fully expects him to start at the other tackle spot. Tomon Fox started at end a year ago but is now listed as a linebacker, yet it’s more of a hybrid position where it combines end and outside linebacker. He said in the spring he won’t have his hand on the ground that often, which would be the same for the other noteworthy hybrid ends now listed at linebacker (Chris Collins, Jake Lawler, Tyrone Hopper, Allen Cater).

After the starters and Fox, if we can lump him into this group for the sake of discussion and because he will line up at end some, there is a considerable drop off. But if the starters can stay healthy, UNC’s defense will have a much better chance at coming together sooner rather than later.

Charlie Heck as an anchor at left tackle is a great place to start and Nick Polino likely at center helps, too. He’s a grizzled veteran who at times can be a mauler. He’s smart and will handle many of the calls, though it will be more of a shared duty under Stacy Searels than it was previously.

We project Jordan Tucker (sophomore) will win out at right tackle and the battles at both guard spots will be terrific. In fact, we can see four players getting game action in the first half versus South Carolina at the guard spots. Billy Ross played nearly 600 snaps at right guard a year ago but finished the spring behind redshirt freshman Ed Montilus.

The majority of the line is young but sure is talented. In addition to Montilus, there’s redshirt freshman William Barnes, who has lost the weight he gained and is primed to breakout at some point, redshirt freshman Joshua Ezeudu had a nice spring and massive sophomore Marcus McKethan was slated as a starter a year ago before being injured. Add Avery Jones and Brian Anderson to the mix and this group has considerable upside.

If he was still at Texas, Brown said he would offer all three UNC quarterbacks that are on scholarship. They were 4-star prospects in high school and highly sought after. Each can run UNC’s offense in time, but they aren’t that experienced as a group, so not only will there be some growing pains as they get used to playing at this level and learning a new system, but it may take the staff a while to figure out who the best among them is.

This is a pretty good problem for the Tar Heels to have because at least either Jace Ruder, Cade Fortin or Sam Howell likely will develop into a very good ACC quarterback.

Brown and his staff have checked literally every box going into fall camp. They have elevated recruiting, the in-house facilities, morale, shaken the tree, installed some schemes the players might be more suited for and are excited to execute and they’ve generated a great deal of excitement in the program. All season tickets have sold out and it’s likely the Heels will be close to full for every home game, especially if they are competitive.

Brown is in the Hall of Fame for a reason. He’s an outstanding program head, he’s a terrific coach and he has a staff that has proven itself many places. Brown and his staff are clearly the program’s greatest positive as camp opens.