Mack Brown has done a tremendous job over the past few seasons turning around the UNC football program quicker than others thought.
He went 7-6 in year one, 8-4 in year two and despite a slip in year three (6-7), he has led the Tar Heels to three straight bowl games, including a New Years Six Bowl in 2020 (Orange Bowl).
Despite losing a lot from the last two seasons including one of the most decorated statistical quarterbacks in program history in Sam Howell, the Tar Heels are ranked inside the top 20 in the preseason ESPN FPI rankings, checking in at No. 19.
While it may be a bit of a surprise for some people following the way last season ended, 247Sports analyst Brad Crawford is somewhat bullish on UNC this season given the talent in the conference that left this offseason.
“Any believers in Mack Brown and the Tar Heels out there? North Carolina’s appearance inside the FPI top 20 is a bit of stunner, given the team’s faults last fall during a 6-7 tumble. However, the ACC Coastal is wide open with Kenny Pickett no longer at Pittsburgh and new coaches at several division programs”
UNC will likely turn the keys under center over to second-year quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag]. Maye, a decorated high school quarterback himself, was a one-time Alabama commit.
The Tar Heels also have preseason All-American candidate [autotag]Josh Downs[/autotag] at wideout — also a projected first round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Defensively, despite losing some key pieces, UNC still has a lot of versatility and depth that should help improve its defense under new assistant defensive coordinators Gene Chizik, Charlton Warren and Tommy Thigpen who held the co-defensive coordinator title last year.
The Tar Heels certainly still have talent on their roster and with a large opening in the ACC, they could get back on track in 2022.
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