Tag: UNC Tar Heels

UNC football slides in the Week 4 AP Poll release

Despite the win, the Heels received less votes in this week’s AP Poll than last.

Week 3 was a roller coaster game for UNC football. NC Central came out and took seven minutes off the clock before scoring the first touchdown of the game and trailed by just seven points heading into the halftime break.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Heels finally broke loose in the fourth quarter with four, unanswered touchdowns, mostly on the ground, scoring 28 points and winning 45-10 in the game.

In the latest release of the AP Poll following Week 3, UNC football received just three votes. Last week, they weren’t in the Top 25, but they did receive seven votes which was up from Week 1.

In terms of the ACC, Miami is up to No. 8 in the rankings. Louisville sits at No. 19 and Clemson is No. 21 as the only conference representatives in the Top 25 teams in the country.

This is contrary to the Coaches Poll where UNC was up to 14 votes for a spot in the ranking. The schedule has been easy and the wins haven’t been pretty. It should be up from here as Carolina gets going for another undefeated week welcoming James Madison to Kenan Memorial Stadium next week.

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UNC football looks to fill production lost from Kaimon Rucker

Kaimon Rucker’s shoes will be filled by two UNC frootball freshmen in the next few weeks.

Without a definite reason at the time, Kaimon Rucker was announced out before the first home game of the season for UNC football last weekend against Charlotte. Despite his absence, the team went on to dominate the weaker opponent in a 38-20 win.

However, the absence of Rucker was still felt, primarily because of the inexperience of those replacing him. The time was essentially split between Tyler Thompson and Jaybron Harvey in reserve, two redshirt freshmen.

The shoes that Rucker leaves empty are not easy to fill. In his first game this season, Rucker had four tackles with one sack and two tackles for a loss. He also dropped back and got himself a pass deflected as well.

According to InsideCarolina:

Mack Brown said that while Thompson and Harvey didn’t make the “game-changing plays” that Rucker makes, they did well with what they were asked to do. Geoff Collins said that Thompson and Harvey benefited from seeing Rucker’s behind-the-scenes preparation.

The preparation that they will get in these next weeks while Rucker is sidelined will be invaluable to their success with the program in future years.

Defensive coordinator Geoff Collins also didn’t see the moment being too big for either player in Rucker’s absence.

“I didn’t feel like the moment was too big for them,” Collins said on Monday. “Tyler getting his first start in college, and then Jaybron playing a bunch of reps. I thought they handled it very well. There’s been a consistent maturation in both of them over the past eight months, and I think they were ready for the moment. They went out there and played really, really well. They both (are different) styles of player, but both very effective at what we’re asking them to do.”

Which one do we see step up this week?

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John Henson makes decision on basketball career

Former #UNC star retires from professional basketball.

From 2010 to 2012, forward John Henson dominated the courts of UNC basketball. Throughout his career as a Tar Heel, he got progressively better each year after coming to Roy Williams as the No. 5 ranked high school basketball player in his class by RSCI.

From averaging 5.7 points per game in his freshman season to 13.7 points per game in his junior season before entering the NBA Draft, he shined in blue.

Henson was a two-time ACC defensive player of the year and a two-time all-ACC member. He was also a part of the 2011 All-ACC Tournament team.

Henson won the ACC two straight years, but he never passed the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. He was the No. 14 overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.

https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1833910301760295000

Henson played nine seasons in the NBA with three different teams. He played seven with the Bucks, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and one with the Detroit Pistons and has been a free agent since 2020.

In his best season, Henson was averaging 11.1 points per game with 7.1 rebounds per game in 26.5 minutes played for the Bucks.

This week, John Henson announced he has officially retired from professional basketball and will enter the broadcasting industry with ACC basketball.

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UNC projected bowl game shifts again after Week 2 win

The postseason bowl that #UNC is projected to be in has changed, yet again, after another win.

North Carolina took down Charlotte at Kenan Stadium in Week 2 of the college football season for the team’s second win of the year. It was a dominant game led by a new starting quarterback in Conner Harrell.

Headlined not by the win but by injuries to Kaimon Rucker and Omarion Hampton, UNC football is going to need some new names to step up over the course of the season. The first one to do it was Davion Gause.

He finished the game with over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown in just over two-quarters of action since Hampton went down.

As a result of the team’s win, their bowl projection for the end of the year has shifted again says Erick Smith of USA Today.

https://twitter.com/USATODAY/status/1831034461938405816

In his newly released projections, Smith has North Carolina taking on Washington in the Sun Bowl on December 31st. In his last rendition of the bowl projections, Smith didn’t include North Carolina in any of his bowl games.

There is a long season to go, and hopefully, we continue to see the Heels climb in the rankings and win the ACC earning a birth in the College Football Playoffs.

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UNC football adds defensive back commitment for 2026 class

UNC football adds another commitment to the Class of 2026.

UNC football is added to its roster once again with another commitment from the Class of 2026. Earlier this week, the team added a commitment from Zavion Griffin-Haynes, a four-star edge rusher.

This time, Mack Brown and company are bolstering the secondary with cornerback Danny Odem from Florida. They both join three-star Zaid Lott as the three recruits for the Heels Class of 2026.

Odem is not ranked on On3 or 247 Sports, but ESPN gave him a three-star rating, the No. 292 best player in the class.

Dan Callaham and Inside Carolina got this quote from Odem. “North Carolina has always been my dream school. So, it was just very exciting when they offered and invited me to the game.”

Dan Callahan went on to say that three games into his junior season, Odem is third in tackles for the First Academy with 24. He’s also one of two players who has recorded an interception.

Odem has time to blossom as a defensive back after also playing wide receiver at the high school level. It is yet to be seem what Odem’s ceiling really can be under collegiate coaching.

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UNC football rises in latest USA Today’s college football re-rank

#UNC football up to this rank in the latest re-rank from USA Today’s Paul Myerberg.

The Heels came home last Saturday and took down Charlotte inside Kenan Stadium despite overcoming multiple issues with the injury bug.

The 38-20 score could have easily been a higher differential should UNC football and Mack Brown have kept their foot on the pedal. Conner Harrell proved the passing attack can be consistent without Max Johnson.

Davion Gause proved that Omarion Hampton has a new running mate and that the Heels are set up for the future in post-Hampton era.

After a Week 1 win against Minnesota on the road, Paul Myerberg dropped UNC seven spots from No. 32 down to No. 39. With another win under their belt in Week 2, Myerberg has moved UNC back up to No. 34 from No. 39.

The club is still not back up to its preseason ranking, but it is at least trending in the right direction. Other big ACC schools slid this week with NC State down 10 spots and Georgia Tech down 18 spots after losses this week.

There are still nine teams ahead of the Heels with a loss in the first two weeks of play. There are also four ACC teams ahead of UNC on Myerberg’s listing as well. Hopefully, as the wins keep piling in, the rank will keep increasing.

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UNC football climbs slightly in Week 3 AP Poll release

With the third rendition of the AP Poll released, #UNCfootball climbed slightly higher than it was last week.

North Carolina came home for the first time this season and did not disappoint. UNC football took down in-state rival Charlotte 38-20 at Kenan Stadium behind a dominant season debut from quarterback Conner Harrell.

Harrell finished with 219 yards and three touchdowns (one on the ground) with an interception. Davion Gause dominated in replacement for Omarion Hampton running 16 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Christian Hamilton and Bryson Nesbit caught the two touchdowns from Harrell and both led the team in receiving.

The AP Poll was released today ahead of Week 3 in the college football season, and although the Heels don’t rank inside of the Top 25, they did move up slightly with seven votes, three more than last week.

https://twitter.com/On3sports/status/1832841770528628765

Boston College, another ACC team, moved into the Top 25 after its Week 1 win over Florida State. NIU was also a surprise entrance into the rankings after a win over the former No. 5 ranked Notre Dame.

Others remained in a similar position. North Carolina was hindered after its Week 1 win over Minnesota by the injury to Max Johnson and now with Kaimon Rucker ruled out for several weeks and Omarion Hampton not finishing the game, it gives voters pause on the Tar Heels’ hopes moving forward.

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PHOTOS: UNC football’s home opening rout against Charlotte

The #TarHeels came home to Kenan Stadium and did not disappoint. Check out these photos from the win!

North Carolina came home for the first time for the 2024 season, and the game did not disappoint. The Heels took down Charlotte 38-20 in front of a packed stadium and a new starting quarterback in Conner Harrell.

Harrell led the team with over 200 yards passing and three touchdowns including two through the air and one on the ground. Two major injury concerns loom large after the win with Kaimon Rucker missing the whole game and Omarion Hampton in the second half.

However, the team came to battle, and battle they did. Here are some photos I’m the win tonight:

Conner Harrell leads offense with three touchdowns in first game as a starter

Conner Harrell boosted the #UNC offense to a 38-20 win with three touchdowns.

North Carolina came home to Kenan Stadium for the team’s first home game of the season against Charlotte today. In a game that was projected to be a three-score or more differential, the Tar Heels provided plenty of pizazz winning 38-20.

Specifically, one of the biggest things we kept our eye on was the ability of quarterback Conner Harrell to lead this offense and put together a passing attack that other teams would have to honor.

Harrell did just that. He proved today that his game is well-rounded, his decision-making is above par, and he can launch the ball downfield.

That was especially true on the team’s trick play that ended in a 58-yard touchdown strike to Christian Hamilton.

Harrell finished the game with 16 completions on 25 attempts for 219 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also added nine carries for 39 yards and a touchdown with his legs.

The sophomore quarterback from Alabama still has much to prove as the opponent will only get harder, but this was exactly the start that fans, coaches, and players alike wanted to see out of their new starting quarterback.

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UNC reveals potential locations for new basketball arena

With the Dean E. Smith Center needing renovations, possible new relocations of the arena have been released.

The Dean E. Smith Activities Center, which is otherwise known as the Dean Smith Center or the Dean Dome, has been home to the men’s basketball team of UNC for almost four decades. Through various delays, investigations, and donors, the original building was completed in 1986.

Since then, the complex has been renovated multiple times to be updated over the course of the years. From new locker rooms to new scoreboards and everything in between, the renovations have been done.

However, structurally, it has remained the same 21,570-seat capacity stadium since 1986. Still iconic, the Dean Dome holds the fourth-largest seating capacity of any college basketball arena in Division One.

Despite that, the university has been searching for over a decade to completely renovate or relocate the iconic arena. Now, they have narrowed their relocation possibilities to six destinations, including two off-campus locations.

According to Inside Carolina, those sites include Carolina North, Friday Center, Smith Center Replacement, Smith Center Renovation, Bowles Parking Lot, and Odum Village.

It remains to see the speed at which any of this will take place. Keep in mind, that getting to this point has taken years of research, planning, and developing. There are still years to come before any of this would come to fruition.

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