CHAPEL HILL – While North Carolina’s offense returns hugely important components with the ACC Preseason Player of the Year at quarterback, its entire offensive line, and tight ends back, the Tar Heels are draped with uncertainty when it comes to the running backs room and at wide receiver.

The running back questions have been well documented, but wide receiver is another skill group that also has plenty to prove.

Gone are Dyami Brown, UNC’s only two-time 1,000-yard receiver ever, and Dazz Newsome, a thousand-yard guy two years ago and a current rookie with the Chicago Bears. Brown is with the Washington Football Team.

Along with NFL rookie running backs Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, each of whom caught 25 passes a year ago and were key components in UNC’s passing game, that foursome took with them 159 receptions for 2,305 yards and 18 touchdowns from 2020 when they walked out the door.

That is quite a load to replace, but there is no shortage of confidence in the Kenan Football Center that the Heels passing attack will be just fine this season. Heisman Trophy candidate Sam Howell is back, and that’s a pretty good place to start. But there’s more.

“We’ve got a lot of guys in the room,” sophomore receiver Josh Downs said. “One that is not getting enough praise is Justin Olson. He’s a guy that comes in here every day and makes great plays, he’s working. Justin Olson is going to be a really good player.

“Antoine Green is going to be a great player, he’s making plays every day. Emery Simmons he’s a very consistent guy that will make plays as well. Stehpen Gosnell, he’s going to make plays. Khafre Brown, of course, he’s got that speed, so he’ll make big plays… And Beau Corrales, he coming back and he’s going to be great.”

Corrales is the most experienced of the bunch with 80 receptions and 12 touchdowns in his career, though he played just four games last season, missing the last eight because of an injury. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is extremely athletic and has a knack for making difficult plays, often at key moments in games. When back to full health, Corrales will open the campaign as UNC’s most proven weapon.

Tight end Garrett Walston would like to have more balls thrown his way, and perhaps that will happen with Howell possibly spreading things around more this fall. How he will distribute the ball is not only a mystery to UNC fans, but its early opponents are don’t exactly know what’s coming, either.

“I would like that,” said Walston, a super senior who has already graduated. “This offense is designed for the ball to be spread evenly, and I think you’re going to see some guys step up.”

One guy expected to step up is Downs.

He is a cut above the others, just like Brown and Newsome were previously. And Downs’ potential may reach or even exceed what the Heels have had in that room since the current regime took over nearly three years ago.

“I smile every time I hear Josh Downs’ name because this is a guy right now that has really done a very good job,” said UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo. “As cliched as this sounds, he’s done a really good job of getting better every single day that he’s here.

“And when you’re a player like Josh Downs who has tremendous upside, it’s a lot of fun watching a guy develop when you think, ‘Hey man, he’s really good, he can’t get much better’ but he can. So, every day, we do a little bit more with him.”

At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Downs erupted in the loss to Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl. Pressed into extended duty because Dyami Brown opted out, Downs stepped up catching four passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. One of his scores was a dramatic 75-yarder in which Howell stepped out of the pocket, quickly moved to his left pointing to Downs downfield before hitting him in stride for the long score that gave UNC a lead in the fourth quarter.

As Downs crossed the goal line in front of A&M fans, he flashed the Aggie Gig ‘Em sign before turning it upside down. That was his seventh catch of the season, and it was also his announcement to the Carolina football world that he had arrived.

“I want to fill the void that Dazz (Newsome) left last year,” Downs said. “Dazz Newsome was a great slot receiver, I learned from him last year. I’m trying to take on that roll (and) do what I can for my team and win as many games as possible and do my job.”

The Howell element hear is crucial, as well. Having someone with pinpoint accuracy who has coach-like smarts out there will obviously help the less experienced guys along, a process that was evident during Carolina’s first practice of fall camp.

In one sequence that morning, sophomore Khafre Brown had a couple of issues on consecutive reps, and on both occasions Howell’s passes were too long and then into multiple coverage. Yet, it really wasn’t on Howell. Brown struggled with his breaks stagnating both plays.

Yet, that’s part of what fall camp is about, especially with so many unproven and young dudes in a position group. College football players make mistakes like everyone else does in whatever they are pursuing, and the importance of the moment was that it allowed Howell to seize another opportunity to serve as the offense's leader. It was good for him, good for the team and receiver room, and good for Brown.

“I think we have a lot of really talented guys, (but) I think we can do a better job with the details,” Howell said. “The guys before them, Dyami and Dazz, they were so good with the little details about every route that we run that (made) it a little better, makes it easier to throw to.

“Just trying after every single route to critique it. Those guys in the receiver room, they want to learn, they want to get better… Khafre has done an unbelievable job, he’s come a long way since he first came here. I’m super excited about the receiver room.”

Hence, the group is collectively still a bit on the raw side, and that is at times revealed in practice, but what better place to make those mistakes and then learn from them?

Khafre Brown had moments of success last year, finishing the season with 15 catches for 337 yards and two scores, plus he's faster than his older brother. In fact, four current players hauled in 13 or more passes a year ago and seven caught at least one touchdown pass. Collectively, 79 receptions for 1,215 yards and 12 touchdowns are back among the receivers and running backs, so this group isn’t entirely green.

But it is still on the newish side, and the question marks will loom overhead until the games commence and the room fully displays itself.