With North Carolina one week away from its opener, THI takes a look at UNC's position groups and projects what we think the depth charts look like as the Tar Heels prepare for Syracuse.

Now, with practice closed to the media this month due to concerns regarding COVID-19, we have not been there to see the players or get an in-person feel for the team, but through a multitude of zoom interviews and our understanding of the program, we have put this together using that information.

UNC went 7-6 last season with its losses by a combined 24 points. The Tar Heels return 10 starters on offense and seven on defense. Here are our projected depth charts for now.

Today we look at the secondary:

Cornerback

Storm Duck (6-1, 200, Soph.) – As a true freshman, Duck played in all 13 games starting nine times. He was ninth on the team in tackles and graded out higher (78.7) than all but one other Tar Heel on defense. Duck showed he can play the run some, he covered well and played with a lot of moxie. Had a pick six in the bowl game. Jay Bateman said earlier this week Duck is a probable NFL player.

2019 Stats: 530 snaps, 37 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 Hurries, 14 Stops, 47 targets allowing 25 receptions for 295 yards and 2 TDs, 3 PBUs.

Ladaeson DeAndre Hollins (6-1, 210, RS Soph.) – Hollins was pressed into duty during last season and did well helping the Heels beat Duke and starting two other games. Like the others in the secondary, Hollins has talent, plus he’s also proven to be a total team guy.

Career stats: 18 games, 341 defensive snaps, 20 tackles, 4 Stops, 38 targets allowing 20 receptions for 258 yards and 2 TDs, 4 PBU.

Kyler McMichael (6-1, 200, Soph.) – See below.

Trey Morrison (5-10, 190, Jr.) – See below.

Patrice Rene (6-2, 208, Sr.) – See below.

Tony Grimes (6-1, 170, True Fr.) - Grimes has drawn rave reviews from day one because of his amazing natural abilities. He's lilkely to get into games on defense and maybe some special teams, but also could end up playing more in November than September.

Cornerback

Kyler McMichael (6-1, 200, Soph.) – McMichael was the No. 53 overall prospect in the nation when he signed with Clemson but played just 101 snaps in 12 games of action as a true freshman and moved on. Played 28 snaps versus Syracuse in 2018. The book on McMichael going into his year at Clemson was that he was comfortable playing physically, had really good hands and a nose for the ball.

Patrice Rene (6-2, 208, Sr.) – Rene was the starter before going down for the season in the second game. Like Tomon Fox, he played a key role in the 2016 opener versus Georgia, so his maturity and experience will be big on that side of the ball. Rene is long, can cover and is a physical player. He may not start but will play a lot.

Career stats: 20 career starts in 35 games, 1,630 defensive snaps, 75 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 95 targets allowing 42 receptions for 614 yards and 3 TDs, 8 PBUs, 2 INT.

Storm Duck (6-1, 200, Soph.) – See above.

Trey Morrison (5-10, 190, Jr.) – See below.

Obi Egbuna (5-10, 180, Soph.) - Jay Bateman noted Egbuna's improvement earlier this week, though it might be tough for him to crack the rotation, if the Heels had to dig into the reserves Egbuna is a better option at this spot on the depth chart than what most teams have. He played in 11 games last season, mostly on special teams.

Tony Grimes (6-1, 170, True Fr.) - See above.

Nickel

Trey Morrison (5-10, 190, Jr.) – Morrison has plenty of experience at corner and nickel, and has been playing all five spots in the secondary in practice over the last month, but he's likely to open games at nickel. He’s played in 21 games as a Tar Heel with 19 starts, though he was banged up some last season. Morrison will be all over the field. In fact, UNC DC Jay Bateman said earlier this week one of his goals is to have Morrison play nickel, corner and safty on the same series in a game.

Career stats: 1,146 defensive snaps, 77 tackles, 7 TFL, 25 Stops, 93 targets allowing 52 receptions for 604 yards and 1 TD, 8 PBUs, 1 INT.

JaQurious Conley (6-0, 210, True Fr.) - Conley made quick impressions after arriving and hasn't let up. He's strong, fast, quick and can handle the physicality of playing nickel. He likely will play some right away.

Welton Spottsville (5-11, 215, Soph.) - A wide receiver last year, Spottsville was moved to the defensive side of the ball and bulked up quite a bit. Mack Brown has mentioned him a few times over the last five weeks as someone who is coming along well.

Strong Safety

Myles Wolfolk (5-11, 205, Sr.) – The first key for Wolfolk is to stay healthy. He’s played in just nine games over the last two seasons because he’s been injured, but when on the field, he’s played well. The most notable performance so far was his two-interception game to help preserve the win over South Carolina in last year’s opener. Wolfolk will open camp as the starter and will probably keep the job all season, but he will be pushed.

Career stats: 19 games, 926 defensive snaps, 80 tackles, 24 Stops, 2 Hurries, 67 targets allowing 45 receptions for 550 yards and 3 TDs, 5 PBU, 5 INT.

Cam’Ron Kelly (6-2, 203, Soph) – After waiting seemingly forever for the NCAA to clear him so he could play, Kelly ended up suffering a season-ending injury in his fifth game, which was versus Clemson and was his first start. He showed some playmaking flashes and a ton of toughness, so much that the physical part of the game wasn’t in question for him from his first snap on the field. He could win the starting job, but at the very least will be on the field. He’s a football player.

2019 Stats: 51 defensive snaps, started the Clemson game (44 snaps), 1 Stop, 7 tackles. Was in for 73 plays in special teams registering a tackle.

Cameron Roseman-Sinclair (6-1, 195, Fr.) – Highly touted coming out of high school, Roseman-Sinclair might play some in a less crowded situation, but he likely will spend the year learning behind some more experienced players.

Trey Morrison (5-10, 190, Jr.) – See above.

Free Safety

Don Chapman (6-1, 185, Soph.) – Played in all 13 games with four starts. Chapman played older than a true freshman a year ago. He was physical, anticipated well and he progressed, getting 229 snaps over the final four games of the season. If Chapman doesn't start he will still play a lot.

2019 Stats: 302 defensive snaps, 30 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 sack, 9 Stops, 1 forced fumble, 14 targets allowing 7 receptions for 125 yards and a TD, 2 PBU and 2 INTs.

Cam’Ron Kelly (6-2, 203, Soph) – See above.

Trey Morrison (5-10, 190, Jr.) – See above.

Giovanni Biggers (6-1, 185, Soph.) - Biggers played in six games last season, seeing his most action in the win over Mercer, a day he recorded four tackles. Jay Bateman praised hm earlier this week saying he could get on the field.

This is the deepest and perhaps most talented group on the team. The staff can go two deep at each spot without any worries and in some cases can go three deep, especialy with Morrison moving around so much. This unit has some star power and will make a lot of plays.