Tag: J.J. Jones

Nine Tar Heels named to prestigious Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List

The UNC football team sports plenty of 2025 NFL hopefuls on its 2024 roster.

Every college football player’s goal is to help their team win a national championship, but they also hope to be lucky enough for NFL Draft selections.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl, seen largely as a post-college football season All-Star Game, is a great way for NFL Draft hopefuls to showcase their talents in front of NFL scouts.

Despite UNC losing football standouts Drake Maye, Devontez Walker and Cedric Gray to the 2024 NFL Draft, there are several more Tar Heels on the current roster who are 2025 NFL Draft prospects.

Those Tar Heels – Marcus Allen, Power Echols, Desmond Evans, Omarion Hampton, Max Johnson, J.J. Jones, Willie Lampkin, Bryson Nesbit and Kaimon Rucker – are being recognized with nominations to the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List.

Hampton is amongst the country’s best running backs, leading the ACC and finishing fifth nationally with 1,504 rushing yards last season. Rucker is one of college football’s top edge rushers, as he led North Carolina with 15 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 2023.

Nesbit is amongst the country’s best tight ends, combining for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns the past two years. Jones is poised to take over UNC’s top wide receiver spot – he led UNC with 711 receiving yards last season.

Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson is battling for the Tar Heels’s starting quarterback spot with Conner Harrell. If Johnson starts, he’ll be protected by the likes of All-ACC lineman Willie Lampkin.

Finishing up with defense, Echols will form a deadly duo with Rucker by returning 102 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. Evans is coming off a 33-tackle, five tackles for loss and 3-sack season that many expect out of a 5-star recruit, while Marcus Allen will arguably lead the secondary after his sophomore season with 49 tackles, an interception and a North Carolina-best eight pass breakups.

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UNC football players chosen for East-West Shrine Bowl watchlist

The UNC football team will be well-represented in January 2025’s East-West Shrine Bowl.

After months of anticipation build for the start of college football, the next season is over just like that.

Teams exceed their preseason rankings and end up playing for a championship, favorites fail to live up to the hype and new stars are born. Bowl season follows a regular-season full of surprises – in 2024, there’s more anticipation due to the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff.

With the departure of Drake Maye, Devontez Walker and Cedric Gray to the NFL, many North Carolina Tar Heel fans are wondering how the football season will pan out in Chapel Hill. There’s plenty of new – and returning – talent on both sides of the ball, highlighted by running back Omarion Hampton and linebacker Kaimon Rucker.

After UNC’s season ends, hopefully in a rare bowl victory, the East-West Shrine Bowl gives future NFL Draft hopefuls one last shot at collegiate gameplay – this time in front of NFL Executives. Recent stars from the Shrine Bowl include 2-time Super Bowl champion Isiah Pacheco and speedy wideout Zay Flowers.

Just over six months away from the 2025 Shrine Bowl, which will be played January 30 next year at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, 12 North Carolina football players were named to the Shrine Bowl 1000.

Desmond Evans, the Class of 2020’s second-ranked player overall, recorded 33 total tackles (18 solo), five tackles for loss and three sacks in 12 games played last year. Bryson Nesbit, expected to be a top tight end taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, led UNC tight ends with 585 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2023.

Rucker will lead the defense this coming season. He returns 61 tackles (34 solo), a team-high 15 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks from 2023. Power Echols, expected to be another defensive standout, returns 102 tackles (60 solo) and 5.5 tackles for loss.

Nate McCollum, expected to step into a larger starting role this year, caught 44 passes for 469 yards and a touchdown in 2023. Kevin Hester Jr., a starting defensive tackle, brings 30 tackles (12 solo) into the 2024 campaign.

J.J. Jones will likely be the Tar Heels’ top wideout. He led North Carolina with 711 receiving yards last season, plus he added three touchdown. Alijah Huzzie, who transferred in from East Tennessee State before 2023, led UNC with three interceptions last year.

Willie Lampkin is arguably the Tar Heels’ top offensive lineman, as he was named 2023 Third Team All-ACC and started all 11 games he appeared in last year. Antavious “Stick” Lane transferred into Chapel Hill ahead of the 2023 season, recording 62 tackles (33 solo) and three for loss, while NC State transfer Jakeen Harris brings 80 total tackles, eight deflected passes and three interceptions with him from Raleigh.

Last but not least, Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson will be competing for North Carolina’s starting quarterback job with Conner Harrell. He carries a ton of experience and talent with him – 5,853 passing yards, 47 touchdowns, 22 starts and four years of SEC football.

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16 UNC football players make All-ACC Academic Team

What UNC failed to do on the football field this year, it made up for in the classroom. 16 different players earned an ACC academic honor.

There’s no question the 2023 campaign was disappointing for UNC football.

North Carolina looked like a true ACC contender early on, bolting out to a 6-0 start and a Top-10 ranking. Drake Maye was the country’s clear-cut top quarterback, Devontez Walker and Nate McCollum gave UNC a deadly receiver tandem and – most surprisingly – the defense was actually making stops.

A loss to UVA sent the Tar Heels into a tailspin, as they only won two of their final seven games. Defensive woes started to resurface and – oddly enough – offense went cold at times.

What UNC didn’t do well on the field, they made up for in the classroom.

16 different Tar Heels made the All-ACC Academic Team – Maye, wide receiver J.J. Jones and Chris Culliver, kickers Noah Burnette and Liam Boyd, linebackers Jalen Brooks, Sebastian Cheeks, Cade Law and Gibson Macrae, punter Tom Maginess, tight end John Copenhaver, defensive lineman Beau Atkinson, defensive backs Will Hardy and Christopher Holiday, offensive lineman Treyvon Green and long snapper Spencer Tripplett.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2xVo9ELVov/

This is a rare win for UNC since its late-season collapse.

While everyone has the goal of making an NFL roster, the reality is only a few will do so. It’s encouraging to know several Tar Heels are excelling in the classroom, because it’ll set them up well for the future.

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WATCH: J.J. Jones’s touchdown grab before halftime

Watch UNC wide receiver J.J. Jones’s critical 16-yard touchdown grab to give the Tar Heels their first touchdown of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

The North Carolina football program was in action Wednesday night against West Virginia as they played in the Dukes Mayo Bowl.

UNC entered the game with a depleted roster, including their star quarterback [autotag]Drake Maye[/autotag], and standout wide receiver [autotag]Tez Walker[/autotag]. The loss of UNC’s high high-powered duo was on full display early as the offense struggled to find rhythm and the end zone.

The struggles didn’t last long, with redshirt freshman QB Conner Harrell finding J.J. Jones for a 16-yard touchdown. The insane grab even had the refs fooled, as they had to revisit their initial ruling to ensure Jones came down with the catch.

The touchdown brought new life to UNC’s offense, delivering a much-needed spark. Before the game, UNC released a package on Jones, expressing his joy as a Tar Heel.

If UNC wants to give Mack Brown that mayo bath, feeding Jones in the second half is warranted.

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Helmet stickers for UNC-Clemson football

UNC lost to Clemson on Saturday afternoon, a team it hasn’t beaten since 2010. There were a few Tar Heels who shined, though – who exactly?

UNC had to play arguably its toughest opponent of 2023 last night – it resulted in a 31-21 loss at Clemson.

The Tar Heels haven’t beaten the Tigers since 2010 overall, but also since 2001 in Clemson. For reference, that’s before the invention of smartphones and smart TVs.

If you take away the three UNC turnovers, including the two first-half, red zone fumbles, UNC enters halftime with a lead and, possibly, escapes Clemson with a win. Carolina quarterback Drake Maye didn’t play awful, but had his worst game of the season with just 209 passing yards, one touchdown and an interception. UNC’s ground game continued thriving, with star sophomore running back Omarion Hampton rushing for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

The Tar Heels’ ACC Championship Game chances were pretty much over before yesterday began, but they would’ve still been alive with a Miami win. UNC would’ve also had to beat Clemson, a team it seems to struggle with just as much as Georgia Tech.

Despite the loss, there were some positive takeaways. I know it might not seem like it after a loss, as we all want to focus on what went wrong, which I do a lot myself.

Carolina still has the opportunity to notch back-to-back 9-win seasons, something it hasn’t done since 1996-1997. The Tar Heels have to play rival N.C. State, an opponent it has struggled against as of late, on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET.

Offensive Keys to the Game for UNC in Victory Bell battle

UNC and Duke matchup on Saturday night in the annual “Victory Bell” game. What does Carolina need to do offensively to hold onto the bell?

After two consecutive, season-altering losses, the UNC football team played itself right back into the win column.

Carolina dominated in-state FCS opponent Campbell, 59-7, in its highest point total of 2023.

UNC quarterback Drake Maye threw touchdowns on a quarter of his 16 competions – two to top wideout Devontez Walker, plus one each to Chris Culliver and John Copenhaver. Carolina running back Omarion Hampton cracked 1,000 rushing yards on the season and turned in his fourth-straight 100-yard performance, tallying 144 yards and two touchdowns on the day.

The score became so lopsided at one point, UNC decided to put its backups in. We saw second-string quarterback Conner Harrell take off and score on a 61-yard, fourth quarter run, third-stringer Jefferson Boaz complete one pass, plus reserve running back Kellen Hood and Jordan Louie carry the rock a couple times.

Carolina’s going to have an expectedly tougher time executing against its next opponent, Tobacco Road archirval Duke, on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. ET. The Blue Devils have only allowed more than 21 points twice – both in raucous road environments at Louisville and Florida State.

We said the same thing about tough Syracuse, Minnesota and Miami defenses, but UNC had no issue moving the ball against them. That was, of course, before its former two-game losing streak.

See what the Tar Heels need to continue doing offensively for win number eight:

Social media reacts to UNC crushing Campbell

After going into the second quarter tied at 7 with Campbell, the UNC football squad scored 52 unanswered points for a 59-7 win.

Tar Heel fans within Kenan Stadium started to get a little nervous after the first quarter of today’s game against Campbell, with the two teams tied at seven points apiece.

The Camels were moving the ball at ease against UNC’s porous defense – just like UVA and Georgia Tech did the two weeks prior. Carolina started slow offensively, another cause for concern.

It didn’t take long for UNC to start showcasing its ACC-leading offense, as it scored 52 unanswered points en route to a 59-7 victory.

It was Omarion Hampton’s day, as the Carolina sophomore running back reached 1,000 yards on the season, via his first of two second-quarter touchdown runs. UNC quarterback Drake Maye threw four touchdown passes on just 16 completions, meaning a quarter of his completions went for scores. J.J. Jones, Carolina’s leading receiver, finally scored his first 2023 touchdown in the third quarter.

UNC’s defense even played solid, limiting an opponent to single-digits for the second time this year (Syracuse, Week 6). Campbell’s offense is nowhere near the level of an ACC program, but it was making solid gains in the opening quarter.

Let’s see what fans thought of the dominating Carolina victory, which was much-needed after the Heels’ worst stretch of football during 2023:

Tar Heels shake off slow start, turn on the jets for dominating bounceback against Campbell

UNC started slow in Saturday’s 52-point victory vs. Campbell, but scored 52 unanswered points in a much-needed bounce-back victory.

After one quarter of play in Saturday’s UNC-Campbell game, UNC looked a lot like the same team with consecutive losses in its back pocket.

The Tar Heels and Camels were tied at seven apiece, with Campbell’s FCS offense moving the ball at will. UNC must have pressed an in-game reset button between quarters, because it looked like a brand new team from there on out.

Headlined by star running back Omarion Hampton’s fourth-consecutive 100-yard outing, which included him reaching 1,000 yards for the season on a momentum-swinging, second-quarter touchdown run, the Tar Heels rode a balanced offensive attack to a 59-7 victory.

Just as UNC did so well before its 2-game slide, it dominated the second quarter and put Saturday’s matchup out of reach.

First up for Carolina was Hampton’s 1,000-yard-reaching, 54-yard touchdown run nearly halfway through the second quarter.

Nearly six minutes later, the Drake Maye-Devontez Walker connection worked for a 31-yard score. With 27 seconds left in the half, Hampton punched the ball in the end zone for a 4-yard score, giving UNC a 28-7 lead going into halftime.

Carolina didn’t stop out of the break.

Just 37 seconds into the second half, Maye connected with tight end John Copenhaver for a 25-yard touchdown. J.J. Jones, UNC’s receiving yardage leader, caught a 21-yard pass halfway through the third quarter for his first score of the year.

Carolina kicker Noah Burnette added a 43-yard field goal to round out the third-quarter scoring, then backup quarterback Conner Harrell gashed the Campbell defense for a 61-yard touchdown run.

The Tar Heel defense didn’t play too bad, holding an opponent to single-digits for the second time this year, but Campbell’s offense is nowhere near the level of an FBS school.

This is exactly the type of rebound game UNC needed. It dominated in every aspect of the game, looking a lot like the early-season team on the edge of a CFP spot.

And what better day to win big than on a beautiful, sunny November day in Kenan Stadium?

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Six 100-yard receivers have UNC’s passing attack amongst nation’s best

The UNC football program doesn’t know who’ll lead its passing attack in a given week. That’s a good thing keeping opponents guessing.

When Drake Maye is your quarterback, you’re going to score lots of points and win plenty of games.

Behind every great quarterback, however, is a great group of pass-catchers.

Fortunately for Maye, the UNC gunslinger who is projected to be a top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, his pass-catchers are making life easy for him.

With Walker initially being ruled ineligible, guys had to step up at receiver. The other receivers haven’t only stepped up, they’ve thoroughly exceeded expectations, with six guys reaching at least 100 yards.

Walker finally earned eligibility, sending a massive cheer throughout Tar Heel Nation. His presence should further bolster an already dangerous group.

Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum is atop the group with 355 receiving yards. He just registered his second 100-yard receiving effort in two weeks, catching seven Maye passes for a UNC-high 135 yards against Syracuse.

J.J. Jones has 318 yards, but still is looking for his first score. Jones’ best output this year was a six-catch, 117-yard showout at Pitt.

Kobe Paysour leads Carolina with three receiving touchdowns. His first 100-yard outing came against Syracuse, as he caught three passes for exactly 100 yards and a score.

All three tight ends have over 100 receiving yards, but Bryson Nesbit leads the way with 167 receiving yards. Kamari Morales (not pictured in above post) has 139 receiving yards, while John Copenhaver has 106. Nesbit and Copenhaver have two receiving touchdowns each.

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Drake Maye’s lefty touchdown throw still being talked about

UNC quarterback Drake Maye threw a left-handed touchdown last weekend against Pitt. His head coach and teammates are still talking about it.

Three days have passed since Week 4 of the college football season ended, but people are STILL talking about UNC quarterback Drake Maye’s left-handed touchdown throw against Pitt on Saturday night.

With Carolina barely ahead of the Panthers late in the second quarter (21-17), but driving for another score, Maye decided to keep the ball on a read option. Pitt defenders moved in on Maye, likely sacking him for a drive-killing play.

What UNC’s star quarterback did next was something you’d see from the likes of Kansas City Chiefs start Patrick Mahomes. Maye switched the ball into his left hand, fired it to a waiting Bryson Nesbit in the end zone, who then caught it for a miraculous touchdown.

Maye’s throw caught the attention of the entire college football world, but more importantly, it still has his head coach, Mack Brown and his top Week 4 receiver, J.J. Jones, buzzing.

“The play that Drake made with his left hand is maybe the best play I’ve ever seen in college football,” Brown said in the UNC-Pitt postgame press conference, according to Chapelboro’s Michael Koh. “It was unbelievable. I sat there and looked at it, and I wanted to run it back, and then I looked up at the Jumbotron. I told him at that time, ‘Win the game, and it’ll be number one on SportsCenter. I think it would’ve been number one either way. I was shocked. I’ve never even seen him do that. And he just acts like he does it all the time. He is really a good player.”

“I was on the other side of the field, and I looked up and I saw him throw it, but I saw his left hand in the air,” Jones said, also according to Koh. “So something seemed odd. But then I watched the replay and I stood there like, ‘That’s gonna be SportsCenter Top 10.’ Drake makes plays like that all the time in practice. For some people it looks crazy, but for us, that’s just who he is.”

After two average weeks to start the season by a Heisman Trophy contender’s standards, Maye has really picked up his game in the Tar Heels’ past two games. The redshirt sophomore tore Minnesota apart for a season-high 414 passing yards and two touchdowns, then nearly reached the 300-yard mark and added three total scores against Pitt.

Maye’s next test will be in two weeks, when UNC hosts Syracuse on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 3:30 p.m. in its ACC home opener.

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