The 2022 college football season is months away and it will look a little different for the UNC football program. Mack Brown’s team won’t enter this season with high expectations like they did in 2021 before finishing below .500.
Instead, this team has question marks on the roster and nobody is picking them to compete for an Atlantic Coast Conference title. But that’s just fine.
With Spring practice finally over and the focus shifting to the Summer, ESPN went back and looked at a few key things for each ACC team. For the Tar Heels, this is what they listed what we learned this Spring:
What we learned this spring: The most important thing coach Mack Brown wanted to establish this spring was a return to the basics, reestablishing the culture that helped the Tar Heels get to the Orange Bowl following the 2020 season. Perhaps expectations got the best of the team a year ago, and Brown is the first to admit he failed at keeping his players accountable throughout the course of the season. Bringing in Gene Chizik to lead the defense was only part of that thorough evaluation, and through 15 practices, it appears the defensive front could emerge as a strength.
The biggest question will be the quarterback battle which should be decided in the coming months. However, UNC will need the OL to play better and have receivers step up aside from just Josh Downs.
Defensively, that unit has talent but we didn’t see it all come together last year. That needs to happen if they want to find some success.
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