Tag: UNC

UNC’s Mack Brown ripped into the NCAA over the Tez Walker appeal, and it was absolutely justified

The NCAA has completely lost the plot

It wouldn’t be the start of the college football season if we didn’t have a reason to be furious with the NCAA. This time, it’s over the handling of the waiver for North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker. During the off-season, Walker transferred to join the Tar Heels from Kent State, a school that was his second stop.

A Charlotte native, Walker started his college career at North Carolina Central University, but the Eagles didn’t play in the fall of 2020 due to the pandemic. As a result, Walker transferred to join the Golden Flashes, where he saw action in 20 games.

Before the move to North Carolina, Walker saw a new coaching staff take over at Kent State after the 2022 season. In addition, the move closer to home seemed to make sense as Walker’s grandmother would be able to watch him play in Chapel Hill (which wasn’t possible for her heading to Ohio).

Seems like a no-brainer approval, right? Guess again. Walker had his third — and final — waiver denied on Thursday afternoon, meaning the wideout is out for the season.

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown was unhappy to put it lightly, and he didn’t hold back making his sentiments known in a strongly-worded statement.

“I don’t know if I have ever been more disappointed in a person, a group of people, or an institution than I am with the NCAA right now,” Mack said. “It’s clear that the NCAA is about process and it couldn’t care less about the young people it’s supposed to be supporting.”

Mack continues to state that the NCAA has made a mockery of the mental health efforts it purports to support, and that the NCAA and the committee, “should be ashamed” with their decision. He closes with a strong “Shame on you, NCAA. SHAME ON YOU!”

The NCAA’s flimsy argument is that as a two-time transfer, Walker has to sit out due to more stringent waiver rules. The problem is the stricter waiver guidelines didn’t go into effect until spring of 2023. Walker transferred to North Carolina in December of 2022, months before the NCAA publicly changed its policy. It’s understandable that Mack would be so frustrated and vent that anger. It’s a ridiculous situation.

Georgia football offers 4-star UNC commit

The Georgia Bulldogs have extended a scholarship offer to UNC’s second-best commitment in the class of 2024

Head coach Kirby Smart and the University of Georgia has extended a scholarship offer to four-star North Carolina Tar Heels commitment Malcolm Ziglar.

Ziglar is a member of the class of 2024. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety committed to North Carolina in July 2023.

Georgia has had a strong recruiting presence in North Carolina in recent seasons. The Bulldogs have signed top North Carolina recruits like Todd Gurley, Jordan Davis, Jalon Walker, and Jamaal Jarrett.

Malcolm Ziglar plays high school football for Fuquay-Varina High School in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. Ziglar is ranked as the No. 207 recruit and No. 17 safety in the senior class. Ziglar is the fifth-ranked recruit in North Carolina.

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Ziglar announced his scholarship offer from Georgia football via social media:

The four-star safety is North Carolina’s second-best recruit in the class of 2024, per 247Sports. UNC has the No. 25 recruiting class in the nation. Georgia has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

Saints’ scouts got a good look at Drake Maye in North Carolina-South Carolina

The New Orleans Saints’ scouts got a good look at Drake Maye in UNC-South Carolina. They were one of 19 NFL teams in attendance:

The New Orleans Saints’ college scouting department got a fast start to their 2024 NFL draft prep. And they were one of many pro teams on hand for one of the week’s most anticipated matchups: North Carolina’s rout of their major rival South Carolina.

The Tar Heel Tribune’s R.L. Bynum reports that the Saints were one of 19 NFL teams credentialed for seats in the press box at Bank of America Stadium. UNC quarterback Drake Maye was the marquee prospect, and there’s a good chance he lands in the NFC South next April. With the Arizona Cardinals going all in to tank for the first overall pick (and USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams), Maye is a more realistic target for needy division rivals like the Atlanta Falcons or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But Maye had an up-and-down night in the Tar Heels’ big win. He completed 24 of 36 passes for a respectable 269 yards but threw as many interceptions as touchdown passes (2). He’ll need to protect the football more effectively to keep pro coaches off his back, even if he has a talented enough roster around him to get away with it at the college level.

He was hardly the only NFL prospect on the field. North Carolina senior linebacker Cedric Gray led his team with 9 tackles (3 solo, 1.5 tackles for loss) and 1.5 sacks, though junior tight end Bryson Nesbit was limited to 3 catches for just 22 receiving yards.

And let’s not forget the other sideline. Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler didn’t turn the ball over while completing 30 of his 39 pass attempts for 353 yards, but he also didn’t take advantage of scoring opportunities. His favorite target was senior wide receiver Xavier Legette, who broke out with the best game of his career — totaling 9 receptions for 178 yards, more than he’s ever had in an entire season. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds and did a great job using his size to fight for contested catches. He might be someone to keep tabs on as the college football season (and the long march towards the 2024 NFL draft) continues.

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PHOTOS: UNC’s season opening win over South Carolina

We take a look at some of the best photos from Saturday’s UNC football win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The North Carolina Tar Heels opened its season with a 31-17 over South Carolina.

The stage was set as both teams met on neutral grounds at Bank of America Stadium, looking to start their season with a win and the naming rights of the REAL Carolina.

In recent memory, UNC played one of their better defensive games, slowing down South Carolina’s momentum. What worked the most for the Tar Heels defense in this game was their ability to get to Spencer Rattler, tacking on five sacks.

On the offensive side, Drake Maye and company made it look easy. They consistently drove the ball down the field, using a balanced run and pass attack. Many wondered if the news that Nate McCollum would be sidelined due to a lower-body injury would impact the game plan.

However, it appeared that whatever plan the Tar Heels schemed up before their 142-mile travel stayed in place as they walked out victorious.

Let us look at some of the best photos from Saturday’s win:

 

Social Media reacts to UNC’s season opening win

Social media reacts to UNC’s season opening win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The North Carolina Tar Heels kicked off its season with a 31-17 win against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Duke’s Mayo Classic.

Before kick-off, UNC announced that the Tar Heels would be without transfer wideout Nate McCollum and defensive back DeAndre Boykins out with a lower-body injury. A team already missing a top transfer in Tez Walker due to eligibility issues tacked on more pressure as Drake Maye would be without two top skill makers on UNC offense.

Despite the hit the Tar Heels took before the game started, the game plan appeared intact, as UNC could create constant drives throughout.

The biggest question was the defense for North Carolina, with significant struggles in the past few seasons, but that was answered early with massive momentum shifts created by the D.

Unsurprisingly, this game brought quite a reaction, with fans pouring in reactions to UNC vs. South Carolina. Let us examine how the fans reacted to the Battle of the Carolinas.

UNC football defensive keys to the game vs South Carolina

Taking a look at the defensive keys to the game for the UNC football program against South Carolina.

All eyes will be on North Carolina this weekend as they travel 142 miles to Charlotte, North Carolina, to take on South Carolina.

The game is known as the Battle of Carolinas and has built quite the hype, with College GameDay choosing to cover this game for week one. The pressure is on for UNC this year with all the talent on the roster, a loaded running back committee, and arguably the best quarterback in College Football with Drake Maye at the helm.

Undoubtedly, UNC enters this meeting with big question marks, one being the status of transfer wide receiver Tez Walker, as his eligibility is still in question by the NCAA. The other is UNC’s defense and if they can fix the glaring issues that have hindered them the last few seasons.

North Carolina will need to do a few things this game to come out victorious, but here are the three key things on the defensive end required to have that outcome.

Exclusive: Who does Paul Finebaum is the top target for the Big Ten in conference expansion?

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum says that the Big Ten will look to target two ACC programs next.

In the world of college sports and conference expansion, change seems to be the one true constant. The ACC is expanding and the Big Ten never seems far removed from the idea.

But what is next for the Big Ten in all of this? And who is the Big Ten’s top target when they expand next?

Especially with what the ACC did this week…

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum talked this week about the future of college football and in particular, conference expansion. With the Big Ten adding UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington in 2024, the Big Ten now sits at 18 members.

Does the Big Ten look to add two more teams to raise their membership to 20 universities? Finebaum thinks that if the Big Ten does expand, two ACC programs would be the target.

“I happen to think North Carolina is number one for both leagues, they bring so much to both leagues. Is it Miami? You’re also talking about broad areas. I don’t think geography matters more. Brands matter more,” Finebaum told Rutgers Wire.

“The Big Ten essentially has become a television network. I compliment them for having a myriad of programming but I don’t understand the logic beyond that. Greg Sankey made a good point: SEC is contiguous. At least you can look at a map and say it isn’t the SEC but I get it. The Big Ten makes no sense. This is what happens when you have the decisions made with television networks.”

North Carolina, given their national brand in basketball, makes sense for the Big Ten. They add the growing media market of North Carolina to the Big Ten’s portfolio.

They are an AAU member and are also strong in football.

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Finebaum then made an interesting analogy to the current geography of the Big Ten, one that Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz would agree with.

“This part of the house doesn’t comport with the next part. It is a hodgepodge. One part looks like this, another part looks like that,” Finebaum said.

“I congratulate the Big Ten on what they’ve done but now it’s the NFL”

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Tar Heels Field Hockey favored to win ACC

The North Carolina Field Hockey team is favored to win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The North Carolina Field Hockey team is looking to dominate the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) again, and they are being picked to do so.

UNC will be looking to win their seventh straight ACC championship on the heels of a 6-0 conference record last season. The honor comes from the 2023 ACC coaches poll, with UNC taking the top spot, followed by Virginia (No. 2), Syracuse (No.3), Louisville (No.4), Boston College (No. 5), Wake Forest (No.6), and Duke (No.7).

The Tar Heels are scheduled to play their first regular game of the season, Friday, against Michigan for an ACC/BigTen challenge.

What makes this upcoming season so unique for the Field Hockey team is that it will be the first time the program will not be coached by Karen Shelton in 42 years. Instead, they will be led by Erin Matson, who many consider the greatest field hockey player in the program’s history.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Social media reacts to conference shakeups in college athletics

Social Media reacts to conference shakeup and what that means for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

College athletics has changed as we know it, with NIL deals and the transfer portal changing how programs compete. Another significant change is conference realignment, creating new exciting matchups while ending rivalries.

Washington and Oregon were the most recent to make a big splash, finalizing a deal to join the Big Ten. The sudden moves and debates have left some wondering if the Tar Heels would leave the ACC to expand their audience and revnue or stay connected with what has worked. UNC’s athletic director, Bubba Cunningham, spoke out against any claims of the Tar Heels leaving the ACC, praising the conference and telling staff they were staying put.

This decision heartened some fans, but left others pondering the opportunity lost by not at least considering another conference. Leaving the ACC would hurt UNC’s traditional rivals, but you can’t help thinking what matchups UNC could snag if it played in the SEC.

Let’s look at how social media reacted to the conference shakeup.

Hunter Dickinson and the top-50 players who used the NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal

We have a handful of former five-star recruits in the portal.

It is hard to overstate the importance of the transfer portal in college sports.

Although roster continuity is one of the keys to success in March Madness, it’s also incredibly helpful for some programs to use the transfer portal to find ready-to-play contributors.

More than 1,600 men’s college basketball players used the transfer portal last season and some of the players who appeared on last year’s edition of this list (e.g. Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman) played impactful minutes in the NCAA men’s tournament. Several important players in the Final Four (like Miami’s Jordan Miller and Nijel Pack or UConn’s Tristen Newton) were transfers.

Below, we highlighted some of the most notable names in the transfer portal.

We used data from our good friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally. Their C-RAM metric grades players on a scale from 0 to 10+ based on their overall performance.

This story references projected impact metrics provided by EvanMiya.com. BPR values are interpreted as the expected points per 100 possessions better than a D1 average player while on the floor.

We have also included projected impact metrics from BartTorvik.com, which you can view here and learn more about it here.

Additionally, NBA likelihood percentages are provided by Nick Kalinowski. You can learn more about the metric here.

You can see a full list of the available players if you click here and you can also check out our rankings for the women’s college basketball transfer portal as well.