Fall Camp Is Here, And There's No Shortage Of Storylines

Football is here, as the North Carolina Tar Heels formally launch into the 2022 season Friday morning with their first practice of the campaign, one in which they look to wipe away the ugliness from last season’s 6-7 mark.

The Tar Heels actually reported earlier Thursday, and the first workout is Friday, 29 days before the opener, a home date versus FCS member Florida A&M. UNC’s practice Saturday morning is open to the public and held inside Kenan Stadium.

Numerous storylines mark the beginning of fall camp. Chief among them is the battle at quarterback between sophomore Jacolby Criswell and redshirt freshman Drake Maye. Carolina Coach Mack Brown hasn’t ruled out the idea of playing both, at least for a while until someone distances from the other.

Of course, if that separation occurs before the opener, a starter will be named. Nevertheless, Brown is prepared to do what the two players dictate by their performances.

“And if they all come out even, like they have right now, then we’ll play two,” Brown said last week at the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte.

Criswell has played 94 snaps in two seasons, while Maye was in for 41 snaps last season, but played in only four contests, thus he got to keep his redshirt. Replacing Sam Howell and all of his school records will be a task, but on the eve of fall camp, neither player is in the lead.

“I think you’d always like to have an established guy in that position that’s played for three years…,” Brown said. “Right now, we’ve told both of them – I love both of them, I’d recruit them again, they’re very talented, ‘One of you’ve got to separate if you want to play. If you want to be the starter, take it over.’”

UNC must also replace four offensive linemen from a unit that allowed 49 sacks a year ago. New o-line coach Jack Bicknell has implemented a more aggressive approach to blocking, believing it will help minimize the sack numbers. And with that, the Heels still remain old and experienced up front, as former reserves such as Ed Montilus have played plenty in their careers.

Carolina is limited with just eight wide receivers on scholarship, but after junior Josh Downs, who set program records with 101 receptions and 1,335 yards last season, and senior Antoine Green, no other Tar Heel in that room has much experience or hasn’t produced.

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Kamari Morales and Bryson Nesbit give an athletic element to the tight end position, and Nesbit’s ability to slide into various receiver roles, that could offset the light numbers in the receiver’s room.

If it means getting wins, Downs won’t mind not racking up the same numbers as last fall. His mission is to make the room better, of which there are various ways that can happen.

“I'm trying to do what I can for my team to help us win, whether that's catching balls, blocking, being a decoy, taking a double-team and letting somebody else make the play,” he said in Charlotte. “Just anything to help my team win.”

Perhaps the most anticipated aspect of the team, aside from the QB competition, is what the defense will look like once the Heels take the field and new coordinator Gene Chizik’s scheme is there for everyone to see. In his first stint in Chapel Hill in the 2015 campaign, all Chizik did was dramatically change the culture, approach, and performance of a unit that was shredded the year before. What he inherited then is similar to now.

Chizik, however, says he has more talent on that side of the ball than when he arrived to work for former UNC Coach Larry Fedora following the 2014 campaign, especially up front.

“I hate comparing teams then and teams now, like everything has changed in a lot of ways,” Chizik replied when asked last month about similarities and dissimilarities between what he inherited after the 2014 season and his current defensive group.

“But the first thing, when I walked in the door, that looks different to me, is the depth in the defensive line. That’s the glaring difference to me. And, it’s not only big-framed guys that are very athletic, it’s the depth and the numbers of those guys.”

UNC is also thin with just five linebackers, but Cedric Gray led the team in tackles last fall despite not starting until the third game, and Power Echols continues drawing rave reviews around the program.

The secondary has plenty of quality players, including a few with possible NFL futures, but all must be more consistent. Safety has depth, but can Cam Kelly and company avoid a roller coaster this season? Cornerbacks Storm Duck and Tony Grimes are extraordinarily talented, and the scaled-down approach on defense that doesn’t require nearly as much pre-snap communication as it did under former DC Jay Bateman. Both should benefit.

Fall camp is here. The hype from a year ago is nowhere in sight, it’s just football right now with the Tar Heels. Four weeks of it until they play for real.