CHAPEL HILL – While North Carolina may be thin, untested or uncertain at quite a few position groups as the 2018 football season nears, one that won’t keep Larry Fedora up at night is tight end, even with Brandon Fritts out for most, and possibly all of the season.
The Tar Heels have five tight ends on scholarship with 13 combined years in the program. If their composite resumes would reflect a single player, the tight end would be entering his 17th season in the program.
Fritts, who injured his knee in early April, recently told THI he hopes to be back for the last few games of the season after initially the word was he would miss the entire campaign. But with or without him, this is an impressive group.
It gives the team the kind of stability Fedora would love at all of his positions, though he’s happy to have it at tight end.
“We’ve got some depth there, we really do,” he said. “With (a healthy Brandon) Fritts and (Carl) Tucker and (Jake) Bargas and (Garrett) Walston and (Noah) Turner, we’ve got some guys that can make plays for us and understand what we’re trying to do, so it’s a nice group.”
Like the rest of the team, however, injuries have hit this group, as well.
Fritts missed half of the 2016 campaign and never found a groove, and last fall, when it appeared Tucker was on his way to a big year, he went down for the remainder of the season in the third contest. And Turner essentially all of his first year after redshirting, including fall camp in August.
But other than Fritts, the others are 100 percent and ready to roll.
The combined numbers – 74 receptions, 763 yards, 10 touchdowns and three 2-point conversions – aren’t what one might expect from such a deep, quality group. But again, those injuries. That said, Fritts, who almost left last winter for the NFL, recognizes just how capable the tight ends are.
“We can be very good,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good players; everybody can play, honestly. So it’s a lot of fun, we’re a tight group and we enjoy coming out here every day competing with one another.”
Here's A Look At The Group:
*Career numbers
Brandon Fritts, Sr.
47 receptions, 439 yards, 9 touchdowns, 18 career starts
Carl Tucker, Jr.
15 receptions, 230 yards, 1 touchdown, 7 career starts
Jake Bargas, Jr.
10 receptions, 94 yards, 2 career starts
Garrett Walston, RS Soph.
4-star coming out of high school, one of the top players in the nation at his position
Noah Turner RS Soph.
3-Star coming out of high school
