Tag: Caleb Hood

UNC football loses a running back to the transfer portal

The UNC football team just lost a former starter to the transfer portal.

With Omarion Hampton leading the North Carolina Tar Heels’ backfield, it’s rare that another running back on their football roster gets sufficient carries.

If you’ve watched even a lick of college football in recent years, you know that a lack of playing time is virtually synonymous of a player transferring.

Such is the case for another running back on UNC’s roster, as former starter Caleb Hood announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Hood’s best season came in 2022, when he started four of North Carolina’s first seven games, recording 250 yards on 43 carries. The Tar Heels didn’t have a clear-cut top back in 2022, so they relied on a combination of Hood, Elijah Green, Hampton (before he was a starter) and DJ Jones.

Since 2022, Hood has just 46 yards – and a touchdown – on 22 carries. Hood’s UNC totals amount to 393 rushing yards – and two touchdowns – on 87 carries (4.5 YPC).

According to On3 Sports, Hood’s decision appears to be made partially due to Mack Brown’s firing. Brown recruited Hood out of Rockingham, NC in 2020.

With British Brooks returning to kick off 2023, plus Hampton’s emergence as the starter, Hood’s path to playing time was a struggle. He also couldn’t stay healthy, which is entirely out of his control, but it brings up one of my favorite sayings in sports: your best ability is availability.

Hampton has exploded to become a top running back in the country, generating 1,660 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 281 carries, in 2024 alone. UNC freshman Davion Gause is closest to Hampton, with 314 yards and four touchdowns, on just 62 carries.

A Hood return would’ve been great, especially with Hampton expected to depart for the NFL, but Hood will instead get a well-deserved opportunity elsewhere.

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Which UNC running back will redshirt remainder of 2024 season?

What is running back Caleb Hood’s future with the UNC football program?

The North Carolina Tar Heels have a thing for developing star running backs. Some might even call UNC “Running Back U” – all you have to do is look at the extensive list of 1,000-yard rushers.

Over the past two seasons, Omarion Hampton is the star in question. He’s continuing to climb up North Carolina’s record books – and is in the midst of his second-consecutive 1,000-yard campaign.

Because of Hampton’s immense talent, it’s difficult for other Tar Heel running backs to find playing time.

Such is the case in particular for Caleb Hood, the in-state senior from Rockingham, who UNC head coach Mack Brown said plans to redshirt the remainder of 2024.

Hood, initially recruited as a quarterback out of Richmond High School, only has 391 rushing yards through three-and-a-half seasons. Hood found limited success as a 4-game starter in 2022: 250 rushing yards, 119 receiving yards and one touchdown, but an injury shortened his season.

In just three games this year, Hood has one rushing yards and 29 receiving yards. Hampton is undoubtedly the clear top back, but the emergence of freshman Davion Gause has also pushed Hood down the depth chart. USC transfer Darwin Barlow is also in the mix, but like Hood, he’s finding a tough path to playing time.

I truly hope Hood decides to stay at North Carolina for the 2025 college football season, as the team will certainly need him. Hampton is likely heading to the NFL, while Barlow exhausts his eligibility, leaving Gause as the only other back with extensive game experience.

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How does UNC football’s running back room stack up against the nation?

Looking ahead to the season opener, how does UNC football’s running back room compare to other top programs in the nation?

For years, UNC football has had a stacked running back room. From Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, who are now both in the NFL, to last year’s Omarion Hampton and British Brooks, the Tar Heels have had a dominant run game for years.

With Brooks now on the Houston Texans, Hampton was looking for a new backfield mate. Incoming transfer Darwin Barlow and senior Caleb Hood will serve as the committee behind the workhorse back.

Hampton has been projected to top his 1,500-yard season from last year while being named to every award watch list and draft prospect list imaginable for the upcoming season.

However, while top-backs like Ashton Jeanty, Ollie Gordon II, and Tahj Brooks all don’t have great second-backs in the room, North Carolina’s can be severely underlooked.

According to 247sports,  the peak of running back rooms this season has been season by Ohio State after keeping TreVeyon Henderson and bringing in transfer Quinshon Judkins. They are joined by Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen of Penn State and Jordan James and Noah Whittington of Oregon.

Hampton will be joined by Barlow who has never averaged under 4.5 yards per carry in his five-year NCAA career. It was highlighted by a 62-carry, 289-yard season in 2021.

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2023 UNC Football Preview: Running Back

We preview the UNC football team’s 2023 running back room in this story. The Heels have five backs with collegiate starting experience.

The University of North Carolina football back is making a strong case for the title of “Running Back U.”

In the Tar Heels’ football history, there have been 31 instances where a player’s hit the 1,000-yard mark.

Four of those seasons have come since 2019 – Michael Carter ran for 1,003 yards in 2019, Carter (1,245) and Javonte Williams (1,140) each hit the 1,000-yard mark in 2020, while current Minnesota Vikings running back Ty Chandler last accomplished the feat with 1,092 yards in 2021.

Despite all the on-field success the Tar Heels found last year, including a 9-1 start and their first trip to the ACC Championship since 2015, their ground game struggled with finding an identity.

Quarterback Drake Maye, in his first season starting, led Carolina with 698 rushing yards and finished second with seven touchdowns. Maye can easily beat any defense with his arm, but when the offensive line broke down, he used his lightning speed and quick change of direction to make those in pursuit look silly.

UNC had plenty of talent in its running back room last year. Elijah Green emerged as the group’s leader with 558 rushing yards and a team-high eight touchdowns. Omarion Hampton gained 401 yards and added five scores. Caleb Hood, who missed half the season with injury, finished with 250 rushing yards and 5.8 yards per carry (most among running backs). D.J. Jones, entering his graduate year, added 124 yards and a score, while George Pettaway rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns.

All of those guys return for Carolina this year. Let’s take a deeper dive into the running back room and see what each guy brings to the table:

Backfield consistency, strong passing game needed for Tar Heel football to succeed in 2023

UNC football head coach Mack Brown highlighted how the key to his team’s success this fall is a strong passing game and consistent run game.

The UNC football team last year, as they’ve done so well recently, boasted one of the country’s top offenses.

Carolina ranked 12th among FBS schools in total yards (6,479) and 19th in yards per game (462.8). Drake Maye led the ACC and finished fourth in the FBS with 4,321 passing yards, plus he led all Carolina rushers with 932 yards.

Elijah Green led all UNC running backs with 558 net rushing yards and eight touchdowns. This is drastic in comparison to the previous three season, when Carolina had a 1,000-yard rusher in each (Michael Carter, Javonte Williams, Ty Chandler)

According to head coach Mack Brown, the Heels will need to continue their strong passing attack and find some more consistency from the running back room if they want to find 2023 success.

“The running game is our quarterback’s best friend with pass protection,” Brown told The Daily Tar Heel. “Chip had been involved with Gus Malzahn at Auburn and Central Florida, where they run the ball so well. I think you’ll see us much better on offense in the running game, very similar to what we’ve been in the passing game.”

Maye has a golden opportunity to find chemistry with a brand-new wide receiving corps. His new starting receivers include two transfers, Devontez Walker (Kent State) and Nate McCollum (Georgia Tech), plus returner J.J. Jones (434 yards, two touchdowns).

The running back room starts this year entirely healthy – Daily Tar heel highlighted how last season, British Brooks and Caleb Hood suffered season-ending injuries. With those two, Elijah Green and Omarion Hampton all returning, UNC could, once again, have a vaunted ground game.

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North Carolina’s running back Caleb Hood will miss the rest of the season

North Carolina will be without running back Caleb Hood for the remainder of this season after sustaining an injury in the 42-24 win over Pitt.

Bad news for the 7-1 North Carolina Tar Heels, as it has been confirmed that running back Caleb Hood will miss the remainder of this season.

Hood was announced the starting half-back in Saturday’s game and had a quick exit with eight minutes left in the first quarter. The injury occurred on a three-yard catch and run, where Hood stayed down after the play was over and missed the rest of the game with an upper-body injury.

The injury bug is not new territory for North Carolina’s running back core, with British Brooks, who was the starter in training camps, had a season-ending injury before UNC took the field in week zero.

The timing could not be worse, with Hood being on a roll lately, earning most of the workload as the season went on. The sophomore appeared in seven games, finishing with 250 rushing yards, 119 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. Hood is tied for the team’s best yards per carry with 5.8.

Knowing that Hood will miss the last stretch of games, including the potential ACC championship and any bowl games. Expect UNC to turn to Elijah Green and Omarion Hampton to close the season.

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North Carolina loses Noah Taylor and Caleb Hood for rest of game

The North Carolina Tar Heels are down running back Caleb Hood and linebacker Noah Taylor for the remainder of the game.

There is bad news early in the game for the North Carolina Tar Heels as they will be without two key players to finish out Saturday’s game against Pitt.

Running back [autotag]Caleb Hood[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Noah Taylor[/autotag] exited in the first quarter and both are listed out for the remainder of this game.

Hood went down after a catch and run of 3-yards with an apparent knee injury. The sophomore was named the starting running back ahead of this game and will be a significant loss for this game. Meanwhile, Taylor headed to the locker room with a non-contact knee injury.

Both were significant losses, with the offense and defense taking a hit.

Sophomore running back Elijah Green will likely carry most of the workload with splashes of Omarion Hampton. As for Taylor’s replacement, UNC will likely mix it up to replicate the pressure and get to Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis.

UNC will need to find a way to fill the void fast as they battle in a challenging Saturday night game against Pitt.

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Caleb Hood’s big day gives UNC much-needed boost on the ground

UNC football running back Caleb Hood had a big day on Saturday, giving the Tar Heels a much-needed boost in the rushing attack.

The UNC football program picked up a big road win on Saturday at Miami, improving to 5-1 on the season and may have found another weapon to utilize moving forward.

Running back [autotag]Caleb Hood[/autotag] came into this year with high expectations to add depth and versatility to the backfield. After 22 carries for 97 yards and one touchdown in 2021, there wasn’t an expectation that he would be the lead back, however.

But, once British Brooks went down in fall camp with an injury, it was clear that Hood would be a significant part of the offense.

After a lackluster first few weeks which resulted in just two games with more than five carries, he turned in a 13-carry for 74-yard outing against the Hurricanes.

He was also utilized as a pass catcher, adding five receptions for 50 yards.

“I thought Caleb (Hood) made some outstanding runs tonight,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said postgame.

Hood has proven to be an effective runner when he’s been in the game. The biggest issue has been with his health. He missed one game earlier this season and then sat out most of UNC’s 18-play drive in the fourth quarter on Saturday after taking a big hit after a physical run.

While Hood was North Carolina’s leading rushing on Saturday, he still only had the third-most carries for the offense.

On the season, Hood has totaled 32 carries for 208 yards. His 6.4 yards per carry are first on the team among players with at least 10 carries.

His 84 receiving yards are also most among the UNC running backs.

While Omarion Hampton — the Tar Heels’ leading rusher on the season — looks to still have a large role in this offense, the versatility that Hood provides as a dual-threat rusher and pass catcher will surely give him more snaps and touches moving forward.

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UNC has statement drive late in win over Miami

Drake Maye and the UNC football offense had a statement drive in the win over Miami on Saturday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels found a way to go into Miami and get a big win to move to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. But it wasn’t easy.

After taking a 21-7 lead with just under 2 minutes left in the first half, Miami clawed back and kept the game within one score for most of the way. And when UNC needed a drive to kill the clock and put points on the board, they got one.

Drake Maye led an 18-play, 81-yard drive that took 8:21 off the clock in the fourth quarter, ending in a Noah Burnette 19-yard field goal to give UNC a two-score lead at 27-17. They held on to win the game 27-24 and that drive taking up that much time was a big reason why they were able to come out ahead.

On the drive, UNC converted on a few third downs led by Maye who hit receivers and kept plays alive with his feet there. He took it into his own hands and it paid off despite only getting the field goal and getting inside the Miami five-yard line.

In other words, it was a statement that UNC can get it done on the road and should be considered a legit contender in the coastal division.

And this team is still getting better.

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Michigan State Football offers 2021 3-star QB/ATH Caleb Hood

Michigan State has offered a 3-star multi-position athlete out of Richmond High School in North Carolina.

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Michigan State Football head coach Mel Tucker continues to do his due diligence in putting together his 2021 recruiting class, this time offering a scholarship to a 3-star multi-position athlete who is currently projected to go to North Carolina in Caleb Hood.

Hood is listed as both an ‘athlete’ and a pro-style quarterback on 247sports, but it looks like he was recruited by running backs coach William Peagler, who was tagged in Hood’s announcement of the offer on Twitter, which you can see below:

Hood is the No. 30 ranked player in North Carolina according to the 247sports rankings and the No. 43 ranked athlete in the 2021 class. Hood is currently attending Richmond High School in Rockingham, North Carolina.

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