Tag: Cedric Gray

Tar Heels 10 days out from football opener

College football fans can smell the start of the season. For UNC, that start is on Saturday, Sept. 2 against South Carolina in Charlotte.

You can practically smell it – college football is almost here.

In just three days, Navy and Notre Dame officially kick off the regular season with a matchup across the pond (2:30 p.m., NBC). Five-and-a-half hours later, 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans begin their quest for a College Football Playoff spot against San José State.

Tar Heel fans – get ready. The boys in baby blue begin gameplay in just 10 days. UNC will face off against one of their largest out-of-state rivals, South Carolina, on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Bank of America Stadium (7:30 p.m., ABC).

The Heels rank 21st in the AP Preseason Poll, while South Carolina is just on the outside.

Outside of UNC-South Carolina being a primetime matchup in the Carolina Panthers’ stadium, one of the largest storylines surrounding this clash will be the quarterback battle. Carolina’s quarterback, Heisman Trophy candidate Drake Maye, will face off against the Gamecocks’ Spencer Rattler, a former Heisman candidate who transfered from Oklahoma before last season.

The quarterbacks both have a flair for the dramatic. Drake Maye joked that people who attend N.C. State are those who can’t get into Carolina, while Spencer Rattler is set out to prove everyone why he’s one of the country’s best himself.

Maye is coming off his best season – one in which he was named First-Team All-ACC, led the Heels to a 9-1 start and finished with 4,321 yards (4th-most in FBS behind Williams), 38 touchdowns (tied-first in ACC with Sam Hartman) and a UNC-leading 698 rushing yards.

Rattler had an up-and-down year. He threw for 3,026 yards, just five of his carrer-high set in the 2020-2021 season at Oklahoma, plus 18 touchdowns, but threw double-digit interceptions (12) for the first time in his career.

The Tar Heels have grand expectations with Maye, their entire running back and tight end groups, plus one of the country’s best linebacker trios in NFL Draft prospect Cedric Gray, Power Echols and Kaimon Rucker. They were ranked 12th last year before losing four straight.

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Two Tar Heels named to Sporting News All-American preseason team

UNC football quarterback Drake Maye and linebacker Cedric Gray were named to the Sporting News preseason All-American team.

Another day and more honors for North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye and linebacker Cedric Gray. A day after the duo were named to the Associated Press preseason All-American team, they earned the same honors by a different publication.

Sporting News released its preseason All-American teams on Tuesday, naming both Maye and Gray to the second team. The duo landed on the second team following impressive seasons a year ago in Chapel Hill.

And earning honors is nothing new for the duo.

Maye has been listed on preseason teams, award watch lists and even Heisman candidate lists following his 2022 campaign. He returns not only as one of the top quarterbacks in the country but one of the best players overall.

Gray is coming off a breakout year in 2022, finishing among the leading tacklers in all of college football. He’s a centerpiece on North Carolina’s defense which will look to improve from last year.

The Tar Heels open up the 2023 season in Charlotte, taking on South Carolina on September 2nd.

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ESPN predicts Tar Heel Football squad to finish third in ACC

The UNC football team, coming off its second ACC Championship Game appearance in program history, was picked to finish third in the ACC.

After the offensive fireworks fans were treated to last season, there are a lot of high expectations for the UNC football program this fall.

Jumping out to a 9-1 record and earning the 13th spot in the AP Poll, the Heels were on the fringe of the College Football Playoff. Drake Maye was in the middle of a Heisman Trophy campaign. UNC clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, its first appearance since 2015, with a dominating win over Pitt.

The Heels tumbled and lost their final four games, plus their two best receivers (Josh Downs, Antoine Green) were selected in the NFL Draft.

The good news? Carolina returns Maye, a Heisman candidate once again, who finished fourth in passing yards (4,321) among FBS quarterbacks. The entire running back room (Elijah Green, Omarion Hampton, Caleb Hood, George Pettaway) is coming back, plus the best tight end trio in the country (Bryson Nesbit, Kamari Morales, John Copenhaver) will also suit up.

On the defensive side of the ball, Cedric Gray is one of the country’s best linebackers. The Heels also have 5-stars Travis Shaw and Desmond Evans on the line.

Heading into the 2023 season, UNC is being picked to finish third in the ACC by ESPN.

Ahead of the Heels are a much-improved, Mike Norvell-led Florida State squad with defensive end Jared Verse and quarterback Jordan Travis, plus the 2022 ACC champion Clemson Tigers, who’ve won seven of the last eight titles.

Keep in mind – these are just preseason rankings.

Carolina could surprise us all and win the entire ACC. They’ll be tested significantly this year, particularly early on with an opening matchup against South Carolina and a Week 2 clash with App State, then two road games to end the year against Clemson and N.C. State.

There’s no doubt the Gridiron Heels will be looking to prove they’re more than just a basketball school this year.

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Two UNC football players make preseason AP All-American team

UNC football players Drake Maye and Cedric Gray named to the preseason Associated Press All-American team for the 2023 season.

The week is finally here. The 2023 college football season will begin this weekend with a small slate of games for Week 0 before things really get going next weekend.

As we get ready for the next few months of football, the Associated Press has released its preseason All-American team for the 2023 season. And on the list are two North Carolina Tar Heels.

Both quarterback Drake Maye and linebacker Cedric Gray were named to the AP All-American second team for the upcoming season. USC quarterback Caleb Williams took the first team spot which put Maye on the second team, a common theme we have seen this offseason.

As for Gray, he joins Clemson linebackers Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter on the second team.

Neither Maye or Gray made the AP’s All-American team for the 2022 season but going into this year, both have received a lot of hype and rightfully so as they are two of the best players not only in the ACC but in the country. And UNC’s success will rely on both of their play this season.

Let’s hope we see both names on the end-of-season All-American team by the Associated Press.

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Cedric Gray named to Chuck Bednarik award watch list

UNC football linebacker Cedric Gray was named to the Chuck Bednarik award watch list ahead of the 2023 season.

North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray has already earned a lot of preseason recognition ahead of the 2023 campaign. After a breakout year in 2022, Gray is returning for another year in hopes of improving his draft stock.

On Monday, Gray earned some more national recognition as he was one of 85 players to be named to the Chuck Bednarik award watch list for the preseason. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football.

The linebacker is coming off a 2022 season in which he earned All-ACC First Team honors by recording 144 total tackles, 6 passes defended, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.

 

Gray was previously named to the Butkus preseason award watch list last week for the most outstanding linebacker in college football.

The full preseason award watch list for the award can be found here.

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Cedric Gray named to Butkus Award watch list

UNC football linebacker Cedric Gray was named to the Butkus Award watch list ahead of the 2023 season.

North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray is among the top players returning for the Tar Heels after he had a breakout year in 2022. Gray has developed as a leader for the Tar Heels’ defense, being arguably their best player.

And now ahead of 2023, Gray is receiving some more recognition nationally.

On Thursday, Gray was one of 51 players named to the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award. The award is given out annually to the nation’s top linebacker.

Gray finished the 2022 season with 145 total tackles, a sack, 12 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and six pass breakups. His play earned him first-team All-ACC honors, one of two Tar Heels to earn that.

This list of 51 players will be trimmed down to semifinalists in October and then finalists in November. The winner will be announced on December 6th.

The award is named after the legendary Dick Butkus who played college football at Illinois and then had a Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears.

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Social media chooses what jersey combo Tar Heels should wear in football opener

Tar Heel fans took to social media on Monday afternoon to choose which jersey combo the football team should wear in its season-opener.

Outside of their on-field offensive success and worldwide following, there’s one thing UNC athletic teams are known for – fresh jerseys.

Whether it’s because of their deal with Nike (thank you, Michael Jordan), the fact that Alexander Julian utilizes that trademark argyle design on basketball uniforms, or the endless combination of blue in several color schemes, it’s tough not to watch the Heels play and say “wow, I wish I could wear a jersey like that.”

The talk of Chapel Hill right now is football. Carolina brings back the country’s best quarterback in Drake Maye, who is a Heisman Trophy contender and projected top overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft, one of the country’s most talented linebackers in Cedric Gray, a running back room full of returners and, of course, head coach Mack Brown.

UNC bolted off to a 9-1 start last year, then a loss to Georgia Tech spurred a streak of four straight. Carolina went from College Football Playoff hopeful to just a bowl game participant, in what seemed like the blink of an eye.

The Heels have a golden chance this year to show the college football world they are back and better than ever. They’ll kick off 2023 on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Bank of America Stadium against neighboring rival South Carolina, who’s had the real Carolina’s number in recent years (38-21 South Carolina win in 2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl).

One burning question before that matchup: which jerseys should the Heels don? An all-blue combo, blue-top and white-bottom, white-top and blue-bottom, or all-white?

Let’s take to social media and see which come UNC fans voted on:

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Tar Heels football hoping for a stronger finish in 2023

UNC football head coach Mack Brown and star linebacker Cedric Gray are confident defense will lead the Heels to a better finish this year.

The University of North Carolina football team looked like it was going to be the team to finally take down Clemson last year, as it started 9-1 with a slew of impressive wins.

Drake Maye was playing like the best quarterback in the country, putting himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation. Josh Downs and Antoine Green looked like the best wide receiver duo in college football. The defense, though it wasn’t great, played well enough to help Carolina close out games.

A gut-wrenching loss to Georgia Tech changed everything. UNC lost four consecutive matchups, including 28-27 Holiday Bowl thriller to Oregon.

Despite the disappointing end to 2022, head coach Mack Brown is confident about his Heels heading into the Fall. Last week, Brown spoke with Chapelboro’s Michael Koh about the 2023 outlook.

“I think we’re gonna be good on defense,” Brown told Koh. “[Defensive coordinator Gene] Chizik’s got another year under his belt, the staff will be good together and I feel like we’ll be good. We’ll get tested early. We’ve got a really tough schedule to start the season (South Carolina, App State, Minnesota). So it’ll be a great four games to start out, to see if we’ve improved like we think we have on defense.”

The article highlights Cedric Gray as a key to the Heels’ success. Gray led the ACC and finished third in the FBS with 144 tackles.

Defense is UNC’s greatest weakness, with the Heels allowing the sixth-most yards (5,697) to opponents in 2022. Gray thinks that will be a massive area of improvement:

“It definitely leaves a bad taste in my mouth when people talk about our team and how bad of a defense we’ve been at times,” Gray said. “Especially being the leader of the defense, I take that personally. I think now that we’ve got a year under our belt with Coach Chizik and this new defense, I think you’re gonna see a defense that’s a lot more comfortable and confident in what we’re doing.”

Carolina and its defense will be tasked with slowing Spencer Rattler, the number one quarterback recruit in the 2019 class, during Week 1 against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium.

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Cedric Gray named to preseason watch list for Bronko Nagurski Trophy

North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray was named to the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

North Carolina linebacker [autotag]Cedric Gray[/autotag] has been placed on the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

The decision came Tuesday, announced by the Football Writers Association of America. The Bronko Nagurski Trophy is presented to who the committee deems as the best defensive player in the NCAA.

No player from UNC has ever won the reward, with Bradley Chubb being the last player from the ACC to receive the honor when he won in 2017 with NC State.

Last year, Gray was a bright spot on the lackluster defense, leading the team in tackles with 145. Gray also had a nose for turnovers last season, leading UNC in forced fumbles (3) and finishing second in interceptions (2).

This season, North Carolina will be fun, with notable players, such as Gray, Drake Maye, and Drew Little, already claiming watch lists.

The finalists of the Bronko Nagurski Trophy will be announced on Nov. 15th, with the winner being crowned on Dec. 4th.

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Two Tar Heels make College Sports Wire’s All-ACC team for 2023

UNC football players Drake Maye and Cedric Gray have earned preseason All-ACC honors by College Sports Wire.

It’s finally August and that means college football returns this month with Week 0.

While North Carolina doesn’t play until the first weekend of September, the buzz is back in the air for what we hope is an exciting year. To get ready for the upcoming season, our friends at College Sports Wire put together their All-ACC team for the 2023 season.

And two Tar Heels were named to the first team — Drake Maye and Cedric Gray.

Maye landed as the first-team quarterback, beating out Florida State’s Jordan Travis. Gray was one of three linebackers to earn the honors by Patrick Conn.

Here is what he said about Maye:

Maye is among the Heisman candidates for the upcoming season and is viewed as a top-two caliber NFL draft selection. The team lost the offensive coordinator and top receiver this past offseason but the North Carolina native has more than enough juice to repeat as the top quarterback in the ACC.

In addition to Maye and Gray making the first team, a few other UNC players were named to the second team.

Tight end Bryson Nesbit earned second-team honors behind Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II. Linebacker Power Echols also earned second-team honors as well.

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