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UNC Tar Heels Spring Practice Preview: 3 Storylines To Watch
The UNC Tar Heels spring practice preview for 2017. Here are three storylines to follow leading up to the team's spring game on April 8.
February 27, 2017
The UNC Tar Heels spring practice preview for 2017. Here are three storylines to follow leading up to the team’s spring game on April 8.
North Carolina had a bit of a disappointing 2016 campaign, following up an ACC Coastal division title in 2015 with an 8-5 campaign that featured losses to Duke, NC State and in the Sun Bowl to Stanford.
Larry Fedora’s Tar Heels are losing a lot of talent from that 2016 squad, especially on offense, and have had to shuffle their defensive staff as well. Star quarterback Mitch Trubisky is expected to be a high pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, so the void he leaves is a big one.
With spring football just around the corner, let’s take a look at the biggest questions facing the Tar Heels as they get set to prepare for their spring game on April 8 at Kenan Memorial Stadium as well as the 2017 campaign.
UNC Tar Heels Spring Practice Storylines
1. Who replaces Mitch Trubisky at QB?
Trubisky decided to enter the draft early, so Fedora must find a new starting quarterback to replace the fourth-year junior who helped lead the Tar Heels to late comeback victories over Pitt and Florida State and completed 68.2 percent of his throws for 3,748 yards with 30 touchdown passes and just six interceptions in 2016. Now, the Heels are left with little experience at the position. Four-star signee Logan Byrd and Chazz Surratt both redshirted during their freshman season, while Nathan Elliott played very little as Trubisky’s backup. Former Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire and ex-LSU signal-caller Brandon Harris reportedly had interest in UNC as grad transfers with immediate eligibility remaining, but there has been little movement on either front.
A veteran presence under center would be welcome, although Fedora will likely be able to coax production out of most any quarterback. Whoever ends up winning the job, though, won’t have the luxury of being able to rely on receivers Ryan Switzer, Mack Hollins and Bug Howard or the top three running backs from last year. All are gone, so there is a lot of work to do on offense this spring and moving forward.
2. Defensive coaching staff changes
Former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik was hired to fix the UNC defense two years ago, but he didn’t love being away from his family. So he decided to walk away from the Tar Heels after National Signing Day. John Papuchis has been elevated to defensive coordinator and is the only holdover from last season. UNC has a new coach at defensive line (Deke Adams) and for the secondary (Kerry Joseph). And Mike Ekeler was brought in from North Texas to be the linebackers coach. Ekeler and Joseph worked with Papuchis at Nebraska, while Adams worked with Fedora at Southern Miss and previously in Chapel Hill. So these coaches are familiar both with the defensive scheme and one another. The run ‘D’ definitely must improve, though, despite the unit as a whole improving a bit.
The players know Papuchis, so there won’t be a ton of adjustment when it comes to hearing a different voice. Expect the defensive line to be the strength of the unit, which hasn’t been the case in awhile. Overall, the defense is in better shape than when Chizik arrived. And it should only get better little by little. But Papuchis needs to find a way to generate a stronger pass rush and have his guys be more physical up front. End Jake Lawler may have an opportunity to make an immediate impact as a true freshman as a replacement for Mikey Bart.
3. Elijah Hood’s absence
While the backfield loses its top producers from last season, Hood’s absence will be the biggest loss. He changed his mind on returning to Chapel Hill, opting to head to the NFL instead. Fedora is going to have to rely on his incoming freshmen backs to play immediately. He really has no choice. Antwuan Branch and Michael Carter, both three-star recruits in the Class of 2017, will have a chance to get carries right away. But how ready will these players be for the rigors of a full season? Blocking technique is always an adjustment for young backs, too, so this is certainly an area of concern. Fedora at least has the luxury of having sophomore Jordon Brown, who has potential. But he had just 45 yards on 20 carries in 2016.
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