Summer is about to start and – in two months – so will college football.
Michigan will try and defend its National Championship, but that won’t be easy to accomplish, as last year’s starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, starting running back Blake Corum and starting receiver Roman Wilson all were selected in the NFL Draft.
Washington, whom the Wolverines beat in the CFP Title Game, also lost last year’s starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and a pair of starting wide receivers, Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk, to the NFL Draft.
Your North Carolina Tar Heels, ranked as high as 10th in the country last season before another late-season collapse, will not have Drake Maye or Devontez Walker on their offense. UNC does return star running back Omarion Hampton, who broke out for 1,504 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, plus a deep tight end room headlined by Bryson Nesbit.
North Carolina will also have a solid offensive line anchored by Willie Lampkin, who earned Third Team All-ACC honors and started all 11 games he appeared in.
Lampkin is also one of the top returning linemen in the conference, as his 76.2 grade is fourth amongst ACC interior linemen.
Highest Graded Returning ACC Interior OL💪 pic.twitter.com/YPMTPqEEF5
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 4, 2024
Lampkin will be blocking for either Conner Harrell or Max Johnson in the fall, as the Tar Heels have not decided on their starting quarterback yet.
Regardless of who starts under center, it’s nice to know UNC has a reliable piece like Lampkin on its line.
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