CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina junior offensive lineman Marcus McKethan is ready to build on an extremely productive 2019 campaign.

McKethan appeared at right guard in all 13 games during his sophomore season, starting in 12 and helping anchor a UNC offense that averaged 474 yards per game, which was 12th best in the country. He also racked up a total of 821 snaps, which was fourth most of any Tar Heel offensive linemen.

Despite his successes on the football field last fall, the 6-foot-6, 336-pound Barnwell, SC, native is not resting on his laurels. Instead, he’s been working hard during the offseason in hopes of having an even better year in Carolina blue.

“I tried to make sure I didn’t miss a day, didn’t try to take a day off and make excuses for myself,” McKethan said during a recent Zoom interview. “I got the work in daily.”

One of the biggest challenges for players across the country this offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic was finding a place and people to work out with. Those obstacles didn’t hinder McKethan, however, and even taught him some valuable lessons along the way.

“It was (challenging) for a little bit, but I connected with some friends back home and we kind of worked out together to push ourselves to get better during this offseason,” McKethan said. “I had to learn how to motivate myself instead of just having a coach tell me when to go.”

Atop UNC Coach Mack Brown’s list of concerns this offseason was how in-shape his players would be when they finally returned to campus in June. This wasn’t a problem for McKethan and fellow offensive lineman Jordan Tucker in particular, with Brown acknowledging their work ethic over the summer during a recent press conference.

“Those guys really look good,” Brown said. “They’re in good shape, they’ve taken care of their bodies. It makes me feel good about our discipline that, while they were away from us, they didn’t really come back out of shape and sloppy.”

Tucker was also full of praise for McKethan and sophomore left guard Joshua Ezeudu, who played 516 snaps for UNC in 2019.

“There’s really no dropoff between him and Marcus besides the size,” Tucker said. “They’re both very intelligent, they both know what they’re doing and they both want to win games.”

Now in the middle of fall camp, McKethan is ready to cement himself as one of the top offensive linemen in the ACC. He feels more comfortable in his role and knows what elements of his game still need work ahead of the season opener against Syracuse on Sept. 12.

“Definitely a lot more experience,” McKethan said about his game now compared to the end of last year. “I know what I’m looking for now, I know what I need to improve on. So, I just know the game better.”

As confident as ever, McKethan’s offseason grind has laid down the foundation for an even better junior campaign, and that's a big positive for the Tar Heels' veteran offense.