Tag: North Carolina football

USA Today sees ACC up for grabs and UNC football could capitalize

With Florida State’s loss in Week 0, many USA Today analysts see the ACC up for grabs with Miami, NC State, and UNC vying for that spot.

UNC football opens up with Minnesota tonight and after a loss by Florida State to open their season, many analysts see the ACC up for grabs including those at USA Today.

Of those analysts, the three names that came up included Miami, NC State, and UNC. Miami drew most of the surprise team’s attention and NC State saw equal voting to win the ACC. However, UNC football was involved in the conversation and can be seen as a dark horse.

Paul Myerberg had this to say about the ACC’s chances.

While Clemson, Miami and maybe North Carolina are seen as the most obvious teams to fill the Seminoles’ shoes atop the conference standings, N.C. State may be the most complete team in the conference.

Two specific games on the schedule will be very influential on the chances of winning the ACC and vying for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoffs — November 2nd at Florida State and November 30th vs NC State.

If they lose one of those games, there is still a chance, but they can’t lose an easy win and one of those difficult games as well and expect to be the regular season ACC champions.

It all begins tonight with Minnesota and a possible opening road victory over a Big Ten team. Omarion Hampton has the chance to join the ranks of several non-QB Heisman Trophy winners if UNC is to win the conference.

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ACC Network ranks UNC’s Omarion Hampton as top-ranked conference player

UNC football’s superstar running back secured the top spot on ACC Digital Network’s top players this season.

Ahead of the season opener on the road against Minnesota, ACC Digital Network ranks UNC football star, Omarion Hampton, as the No. 1 player in the Atlantic Coast Conference heading into the 2024 season.

Hampton amassed 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground last season. He also caught 29 passes for 222 yards which totals to over 1,700 all-purpose yards over the course of 13 games in his sophomore season at North Carolina.

With Drake Maye and Devontez Walker, two major offensive playmakers last year in the NFL, Hampton is the star of the show and is projected to surpass 2,000 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns on the season.

That is a large part of why he draws this No. 1 ranking of the top players in the conference. He beat out newcomers to the ACC Preston Stone and SMU, Ashton Gillotte of Louisville, and Xavier Restrepo of Miami, who were the No. 2 through No. 4 players respectively.

Hampton gets his season underway against Minnesota this week and with the weather projected rainy, might get all the work on the ground as one of the most stable pieces of this revamped UNC offense.

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Former UNC running back makes Houston Texans 53-man roster

Former UNC football running back British Brooks made the Houston Texas 53-man roster today.

Former UNC football players around the league held their breath as all NFL rosters had to be cut down to 53 men today. After a training camp and preseason roster of over 70 men, 20+ of them theoretically, had to be waived from 32 teams.

One of those former Tar Heels, British Brooks, was one whose name was easily on the chopping block. The running back room in Houston brought in Joe Mixon from Cincinnati and had Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, and Cam Akers along with more.

However, Brooks was not one of the players that the Texans decided to cut and did enough in the preseason to warrant a spot on a team.

Brooks ran one time for negative two yards in the Hall of Fame game in his first NFL action. He proceeded to run two times for three years in Week 1 of the preseason against the Steelers.

Week 3 is when he exploded onto the scene rushing five times for 23 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants. He capped it off with a five-attempt, 25-yard game against the Rams last weekend.

Houston chose to be thin in other areas to keep five tailbacks on the roster, the four aforementioned ones, and Brooks.

Brooks will now have the opportunity to make a name for himself and North Carolina at the professional level for the time being!

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Two UNC football recruits move up in Rivals250 update

The 2024 Rivals250 list has been released and UNC football finds two future superstars in the reveal.

The UNC football recruiting adventure has felt like a roller coaster. However, good news is on the horizon as the team boasts two players listed in the update reveal of Rival’s top 250 prospects in the Class of 2025.

In the Class of 2024, freshman wide receiver Jordan Shipp, cornerback Zion Ferguson, safety Ty’Shun White, and wide receiver Alex Taylor all made the list of Rivals Top 250 of last year for Tar Heel football.

The two players who are on the list as seniors in high school this year are quarterback Bryce Baker and offensive tackle Alex Payne.

Baker finds himself as the No. 79 ranked player on the list up 76 spots. The 6-foot-2 quarterback from East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina is a four-star product on 247sports. He is the No. 11 ranked QB in the class and the No. 5 ranked player out of NC.

With two quarterbacks on the roster transfer graduates, Baker has a good shot at winning the quarterback job next year.

Payne is the No. 178 ranked player on Rivals which is up 47 spots. Payne is also a four-star recruit on 247sports out of Gainesville High in Gainesville, Georgia. He is the No. 11 ranked tackle in the class and the No. 15 ranked player out of Georgia.

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North Carolina coach Mack Brown proclaims that Texas A&M coach Mike Elko ‘lied’ at Duke

“Elko said ‘I’ll be at Duke longer than Mack will be at Carolina,” he recalled. “I called him when he went to A&M and said ‘OK, you lied.’”

North Carolina football head coach Mack Brown may be turning 73 years old next month but his memory is apparently stronger than ever.

Brown took a shot at Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko at the 2024 ACC Football Kickoff last week in Charlotte

“Coach Elko said ‘I’ll be at Duke longer than Mack will be at Carolina,’” Brown recalled Thursday. “I called him when he went out to A&M and said ‘OK, you lied.’ He said ‘Well, I didn’t think I was gonna (leave).’ I said ‘Yeah, I got it. I hear all that.’”

To be fair, Elko was in Durham for only two seasons, so he has a point. However, Brown of all people can’t fault Elko. Especially since Brown left his first stint with the Tar Heels after 10 years to become leader of the Longhorns in 1997.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams this season, perhaps Elko will get the opportunity to silence Brown in the postseason later this year.

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ACC starting quarterback rankings for 2024

Here are our ACC quarterback rankings for 2024, with projected starters.

We are still some time away from the start of the 2024 college football season, but that doesn’t stop us from looking ahead.

Today, we are looking at the ACC starting quarterbacks for 2024 and ranking them ahead of the season. This is just a preview, as it is still many months from the season, and things can change fast. While every team doesn’t have a starting quarterback on paper, we are making projections on these starters based on what we know right now.

The ACC is a bit different now, with the addition of new programs and new faces to the conference. Try not to get mad with these, they’re subjective! That said, here are our ACC starting quarterback rankings heading into the 2024 season.

– Updated 5/11

Watch as Rutgers football recruit Isaiah Deloatch runs a blistering 100 meters

Rutgers football recruit Isaiah Deloatch produced a tremendous showing in the 100 meters this week. #Rutgers

Isaiah Deloatch continues to be outstanding this spring on the track and field. The Rutgers football recruit has been showcasing his elite-level athleticism, a skillset that has him with several Power Five offers.

Deloatch ran a 10.54 in the 100 meters on Wednesday. He recently announced that he will be taking an official visit to Rutgers football.

A linebacker (and sprinter) for Hillside (Durham, North Carolina), Deloatch also has official visits scheduled for Duke and South Florida. He also holds offers from Indiana and Syracuse.

Rutgers football fans will well remember when Jonathan Taylor ran a 10.49 time in the 100 meters in 2017 for Salem High School (Salem, New Jersey. Taylor did so at 5-foot-10 and 201 pounds. Taylor is now an All-Pro running back with the Indianapolis Colts.

Deloatch ran his 100 meters at 6-foot and 216  pounds.

The fastest 100-meter time run in NCAA history was a 9.82 by Christian Coleman of Tennessee in 2017.

 

In the high jump today, which Deloatch has never competed in at the high school level, he cleared 5-foot-10 inches.

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Wisconsin OC Phil Longo’s former QB selected No. 3 overall in 2024 NFL draft

Wisconsin OC Phil Longo’s former QB just got drafted:

Wisconsin offensive coordinator Phil Longo just saw his former quarterback selected in the NFL draft.

That is now-former North Carolina Drake Maye, who was selected No. 3 overall by the New England Patriots.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

Longo coached Maye for his first two collegiate seasons. 2022, his second year in college and first year as the starter, was likely his best — 66.2% completion, 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 184 carries, 698 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

The accomplished offensive coordinator then took the job at Wisconsin under head coach Luke Fickell ahead of the 2023 season. Maye stayed put at North Carolina, and still put up impressive numbers after Longo’s departure. He didn’t quite look like the dominant player he was in 2022, which led to some questions entering the draft process.

Either way, Longo played at least a role in developing the promising young quarterback into the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft.

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ACC Football Teams Ranked by Returning Production for 2024

A look at each ACC team’s returning production for the upcoming 2024 season.

Forecasting which teams will rise to greatness in college football in any given season can prove challenging. However, a key indicator often lies in the roster’s returning players.

From seasoned fifth-year senior linebackers to up-and-coming junior quarterbacks, the presence of experienced athletes opting to continue with their respective programs can significantly bolster a team’s competitive advantage. This continuity becomes particularly crucial as other teams contend with talent depletion due to NFL draft selections, transfers, or eligibility regulations.

ESPN recently released a list of all 134 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams, with each ACC team naturally being listed. Here is a look at each ACC team’s returning production on offense, defense, and total.

Updated 4/7

Every ACC football team’s ESPN preseason SP+ ranking

The ACC has some strong teams heading into the 2024 season, according to ESPN’s SP+.

The 2024 college football season is months away, but we all know that football remains on the mind throughout the offseason. 

Early rankings have been released all over the place, with ESPN’s Bill Connelly recently releasing the preseason ESPN SP+ rankings ($$$) for the 2024 season. These SP+ rankings consider multiple key factors regarding a football team, including returning production, recent recruiting, and recent history. A strong model; here is a bit more of what Connelly had to say about the rankings. 

“It’s a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. It is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a résumé ranking. Along those same lines, these projections aren’t intended to be a guess at what the AP Top 25 will look like at the end of the season. These are simply early offseason power rankings based on the information we have been able to gather to date.”

Straightforward and to the point, these are power rankings based on what we know right now. So, how do Clemson and the rest of the ACC stack up in the first SP+ rankings for 2024? Check it out below.

Updated 2/16