North Carolina Tar Heels 2020-2021 Team Preview

When legendary Head Coach Mack Brown returned to the Tar Heels football team, he threw caution to the wind. He maintained that if he failed, he failed, but that he just wanted to come back and have fun. That mentality led him to a 7-6 overall record, and he lost to Clemson by only one point in overtime. The 2019 season was a massive step forward from the years spent under the stagnant Larry Fedora, and going into 2020, the Tar Heels have a lot to look forward to. They are expected to finish second in the ACC.

QB - Sam Howell - Sophomore
Sam Howell came out of nowhere as a true freshman, slinging touchdowns left and right with accuracy and poise. He won the ACC Rookie of the Year award, and how could he not after setting a school record with 38 touchdowns, finishing second in the league in passing yards? He surprised everyone, except for maybe Mack Brown, with his on-the-field leadership and his big numbers. He completed 259 passes on 422 attempts, and 38 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions. Those are exciting numbers for a true freshman, and if he can stay injury-free for the majority of his career, he'll be the next UNC quarterback drafted into the NFL. Move over, Mitchell Trubisky.

WR - Dazz Newsome - Senior
Dazz started the season as Howell's number one guy, remaining so for most of the year. I played College Fantasy Football last season and picked him up to pad my bench. This season, he may find his way into some Fantasy starting lineups, as he looks to take a step up in his senior year. He nabbed over 1,000 receiving yards last season and grabbed 10 touchdowns as a junior on a much improved Heels team, one which will only get better.



WR - Dyami Brown - Junior
Dyami is one half of a dynamic duo. Like Newsome, he also had over 1,000 receiving yards last season, as well as 12 touchdown catches. Dyami came on strong toward the end of the season and led the ACC in receiving yards per reception (20.3). That's quite a stat for a sophomore, so I expect massive things in Dyami's near future. Even though Dazz had more receptions, Dyami put up the bigger numbers.


WR - Beau Corrales - Senior
Beau Corrales will be the third wheel, but that certainly doesn't downshift his level of play. He's big, he's physical, and he'll be positioned on the outside, ready and waiting to catch the balls that Dazz and Dyami don't. Last season, he had 40 receptions for 575 yards to go with 6 touchdowns.




RB - Javonte Williams - Junior
The lead in a two-headed running back attack, Williams comes in ready to improve on his 933 yards and 5 touchdowns. He will certainly cede some work to senior Michael Carter, as North Carolina hasn't really boasted a three-down back since Giovani Bernard, but he will lead the Heels in attempts, and likely touchdowns as well in their balanced rushing game.





RB - Michael Carter - Senior
Though Carter got less touches than Williams in 2019, he actually posted more rushing yards with 1,003. He had two less touchdowns, but that could change in 2020. Williams will likely lead the backfield, but there's no reason why Carter can't overtake it in his senior season. Mack Brown may keep a two-headed monster approach, or he could switch to a hot-hand backfield. Either way, the Heels will be just fine at the position.



TE - Garrett Walston - Senior
Walston was seldom used in 2019, totaling 76 yards and a touchdown on 9 receptions. With so many mouths to feed (Newsome, Brown, Corrales, Williams, Carter), those numbers are not likely to improve much in 2020 despite his maturity as a tight end. Walston will catch a pass from time to time, but he will likely be used primarily as a blocker for Williams and Carter in the backfield.


DE - Raymond Vohasek - Sophomore
No, that's not J.J. Watt. That's Raymond Vohasek, sophomore defensive end. He didn't post great numbers in 2019 (9 solo tackles, 7 assisted, 1 sack), but these numbers reflect his freshman year. He has plenty of time to improve as an edge-rusher, and by the end of his time with the Heels, he may more resemble a latter-day J.J. Watt in play as well.


DE - Tomari Fox - Sophomore
Like Vohasek, Fox (#56) posted pedestrian numbers in 2019 with 5 tackles, 10 assisted, and 1 forced fumble. Coming into his sophomore year, this numbers will more than likely double, especially with older brother Toman backing him up at linebacker.









NT - Jahlil Taylor - Sophomore
The young nose tackle is an absolute monster. His freshman numbers weren't very big (7 solo tackles, 4 assisted, 1 pass defended), but he will definitely build on them in his second year. He's a massive player at 6'0"/300 pounds, so I look forward to seeing Taylor throw his weight around in 2020.




DT - Xach Gill - Junior
Gill also didn't have glaring numbers as a sophomore (7 solo tackles, 3 assisted, 1 sack), but looks to build on those as he replaces NFL-ready Jason Strowbridge.








LB - Toman Fox - Senior
The Carolina linebacker corps is again strong this coming season, thanks in large part to senior Toman Fox. Last season, he racked up 21 solo tackles, 20 assisted, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. That's pretty good work for 2019, but look for those numbers to improve even more along with his overall play.







LB - Jeremiah Gemmel - Junior
Gemmel doubled Fox's numbers in the tackling category. He had 42 solo and assisted tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and a pass defended. This tells me that he was the strong side linebacker, with Fox racking up more sacks from the weak side. Gemmel still has two more years with the Heels, proving he'll be a force to reckon with for ball carriers.







LB - Chazz Surratt - Senior
Chazz Surratt is an interesting case. He's a middle linebacker who originally converted from...wait for it...quarterback. That's a strange conversion, but the guy is simply an athlete, and he proved as much last season. He had 66 solo tackles, 49 assisted, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception. He's likely the next NFL prospect from team, especially if his 2020 goes the way he wants it to.


CB - Storm Duck - Sophomore
When you Google images of Storm Duck (#29), you get pictures of, well, storms, and ducks. And this guy. As a true freshman, Duck came in to put up solid numbers, boasting 28 solo tackles, 9 assisted, 2 interceptions, 1 touchdown (pick 6), and 5 passes defended. He makes the Tar Heel 2020 outlook bright at the back end of the field.






CB - Trey Morrison - Junior
Morrison's numbers weren't quite as good as the freshman phenom Duck's, but they were pretty close. Over the course of the season, he racked up 28 solo tackles, an interception, and 4 passes defended. Opposing quarterbacks will likely be throwing his way to avoid Duck, presenting the opportunity for him to shine.



FS - D.J. Ford - Senior
Ford had solid numbers as a junior, and will lead the Tar Heel pass defender charge this season. Last year, he had 30 solo tackles, 24 assisted, a fumble recovery, an interception, and 2 passes defended. He looks to cement his name beside past Carolina safety greats like Tre Boston and M.J. Stewart, players in which he shares lots of commonalities.





SS - Don Chapman - Sophomore
Chapman came in as a true freshman last season to plant some pretty firm roots into the grass at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Throughout the year, he had 22 solo tackles, 8 assisted, a sack, a forced fumble, 2 interceptions, and a pass defended. These are some exciting freshman numbers that will likely be doubled as the young safety comes into year two. He's shown here in the Bowl game against Temple, one in which he accumulated his sack and had 5 solo tackles with 5 assisted. He's simply everywhere.

K - Grayson Atkins - Graduate Student
Last year's starting kicker, Noah Ruggles, had some performance issues toward the end of the season. Mack Brown attempted to rectify the fact by throwing in backup Jonathan Kim. Apparently, Kim wasn't the answer either, as the team ushered in the talent of Furman grad Grayson Atkins, who will aim and fire away this season for the Heels. He seems only a one-year band-aid, but he'll be the one to heal old wounds in the place-kicking department.



Offensive Outlook: The Heels are set on offense. They feature a better than average quarterback, two dynamic receivers destined for the next level, and two running backs that will stay fresh due to an balanced workload. Most of the points will likely comes from Howell and the receivers, but Williams and Carter will keep defenses honest. Look for more of what we saw last season, but only done even better.



Defensive Outlook: The linebacker corps and the defensive backs/safeties are very strong, but on paper, Carolina won't have the strongest pass rush. It's been proposed that Toman Fox will be asked to step forward to defensive end at times, which is a good idea for the Heels coaching staff. If he can apply pressure to opposing quarterbacks, Chazz Surratt and company should handle things at the back end, keeping opponent scores to a minimum.