The UNC football program is preparing for its Spring Game this weekend and it’ll be the first time ‘this year’ that fans will have a chance to see the team and some of the new playmakers.
One of those players is wide receiver [autotag]Andre Greene[/autotag]. Greene, a true sophomore, played in four games as a freshman but didn’t see any consistent action until the Holiday Bowl.
That’s when Greene started to make some plays. He would have three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown in the bowl game.
Some of those playmaking abilities that Greene flashed at the end of the season has UNC head coach Mack Brown wanting — and needing — more.
“We feel like it’s really important for us for Andre to step up,” Brown said. “Lonnie (Galloway) actually played him with the blues on Thursday some and got him out there with Drake (Maye) some to step up and go … He caught a touchdown pass, he made somebody miss a tackle and had a 20-yard run afterwards, so he really flashed some on Thursday for the first time.”
The Tar Heels are losing Josh Downs and Antoine Greene from last year — the top two pass catchers on the roster. So, Andre Greene’s emergence is needed.
Greene was a four-star prospect in the 2022 class. He has the ability and skill to be a dynamic playmaker for this UNC offense. And it’s time to step up, says Brown.
“I think sometimes if you’re not careful you get all these stars, and all these offers, you get all these recruits, and then the pressure and the standard is set so high that it’s hard for freshman to just come in and live up to that immediately,” Brown added, “ … we felt like it’s taken him to this point to be ready to go and feel confident and good about what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
The Tar Heels are coming off of a 9-5 season and ACC Coastal Division title. But, North Carolina did lose four games in a row to close the season.
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