Staff Pix: Top 3 Storylines Entering Fall Camp

Fall camp is almost here so it’s time THI gets back in the groove with our Staff Pix. In this edition, our quintet offers up the top three storylines as the Tar Heels open camp preparing for the 2018 season, which begins Sept. 1 at California.

Here are our picks:

QB - The biggest question mark I feel is at quarterback where returning QBs Nathan Elliott and Chazz Surratt will be battling it out for the starter position.

OL - The offensive line returnees got a lot of valuable reps during the 2017 campaign due to injuries. I feel the OL play will be huge if the Tar Heels are to be successful.

Kicking Game - The kicking game is unknown and unproven. Punter Tom Sheldon’s departure leaves a big void in the special teams.

LB Situation - Outside of Cole Holcomb and Jonathan Smith, who can the staff call upon to spell those guys at linebacker?

Quarterback - Fall camp will be huge in deciding whether Chazz Surratt or Nathan Elliott wins the starting quarterback spot.

William Barnes - It’s intriguing to see seeing the 6-5, 330-pound former 4-star offensive tackle make the transition from high school to a college football camp.

Quarterback - This will be a battle that is watched throughout camp as Chazz Surratt and Nathan Elliot look to take possession of a position that struggled to find consistency for most of last season.

Wide Receiver - Anthony Ratliff-Williams stepped up big-time last season, but the position group as a whole has a lot of potential going into the fall with young faces and returning players.

Defensive Line - The defensive line returns seven of the top eight players from 2017 so it will be important to get through camp healthy as it anchors an improving Carolina defense.

Sneaker Gate - Top storyline for me is how many people are we going to lose because of sneaker gate. This is going to have a great effect on the first month of the season and if the Heels lose their first three or four games, I don't think that Coach Fedora will keep his job.

QB Battle - Another storyline is who ends up with the quarterback job. Hopefully none of the quarterbacks are involved with sneaker gate, but if they are, this season could be over before it starts.

OL - My other storyline for this season is going to be the play of the offensive line. Coach Kap has got a lot of depth to work with and it could possibly be one of the best offensive lines he's had since coming to North Carolina. After last season that was full of injuries with this group, looking for them to bounce back.

Shoe Gate – The Tar Heels have enough talent and potential answers to their many questions, but not if some of the answers are out the first week or more, especially if the suspensions climb toward three and four games. What should be a 3-1 start and could be a 4-0 start could well be 1-3 with the Heels heading to Miami in week five. Poor decisions by certain Heels could be costly and set well off track a season that could have been a nice rebound from last year’s disappointment.

Cornerback/Nickel/Dime – Okay, M.J. Stewart is gone, though K.J. Sails is back at the other corner. However, there doesn’t appear to be anyone in the program close to Stewart in skill or potential, so who will win that job? Patrice Rene? Greg Ross? Tre Shaw? Someone else? Furthermore, if the staff has trouble solidifying that spot, what does it say about the nickelback, which they use more often than not, and the sixth DB when in dime, which they could use this fall more than previously? Big questions here.

QB – No question this is the biggest personnel storyline of camp. The most important position is up for grabs, and the two players battling for it showed some positives a year ago but also some not-so-positives. If affected by the shoe situation, we may never really know who would have truly won this competition. If not, either Nathan Elliott or Chazz Surratt will win the job, and until then, lets the debates continue.