UNC 2016 (long)
saw that some of you were curious about the Tar Heels so here goes:
new starting QB is Mitch Trubisky, 2012 Mr. Ohio Football
redshirt junior 6'3', 220
last year 40 of 47, 6-TDs, 0-INTs, 555 yards
ran 16 times for 100+ yards 3-TDs, 0-fumbles
most think he is a better passer than Marquise Williams (now a rookie, Green Bay) but probably not a better runner although he is Fedora's first QB recruit and Fed only recruits dual threat QBs; his favorite target might be our starting TE Brandon Fritts, his high school teammate (Mentor, Ohio) but we also like our trio of starting WRs as much as any group in Div.1...
we are high on Trubisky, among other reasons, because three of those completions came when he had to come in cold off the bench for one play because of Williams' helmet coming off or injury; two were immediate touchdown passes (UVa, later that team in red), and the third was in the ACC champ. game against Clemson late in the second half when we were facing 3rd and 16 and he immediately completed a 20 yarder converting the first down and keeping that scoring drive alive, something I'm not sure his predecessor would have accomplished which is why even during an 11 game winning streak many felt Trubisky should have been starting...
even when you're winning the backup QB can be the most popular guy on the team...
we don't think he'll rattle easily but it will be his first time starting...
backup will be Nathan Elliott a kid from TX, son of a coach who ran and passed so well in fall camp that 4-star Caleb Henderson decided to transfer this past weekend...
no way Mitch continues to hit 85%+ of his passes but he won't need to because of our RBs
Elijah Hood 1463 yards last year (7.7 ypc)
6'1" 230 and all muscle, kind of a freak of nature
he decided to hit the weight room to improve so his squat is now 635 lbs. (he is forbidden by our weight training staff to add any more to his squat because there would be no real strength gain but he might hurt himself)...
excellent speed, great power...
y'all are gonna' have to gang tackle him as he doesn't believe one or two guys should ever be able to bring him down...
he actually likes contact and shares that with two former Tar Heels, Jimmy Hitchcock and Lawrence Taylor, so he believes he should be the one delivering the hit...
back up is also a freak, but of a different kind: TJ Logan, 6'1", 195 who runs a 4.3 40...
I know, I know, no way, right? look at his highlights on Youtube and you see player after player taking the wrong angle and then being stunned that they can't get a hand on him as he goes by, and you will see what I'm talking about...
Hood bruises the opposing D for a few series and when they get tired in comes Logan to burn them...
both must catch passes coming out of the backfield in our offense and a LB will have trouble staying with Hood, but staying with Logan is a whole
different matter...
O-line is rated top 10 in Div.1 per Athlon, and upper class dominated, many combined starts with two on pace to break the UNC record for O-Line starts (we have recruited well in this area)...
we expect our O, which averaged over 40 points a game last year, to score early and often but last season they had to since UNC had problems stopping the run...
D was most improved in Div. 1 last year statistically (although they didn't look like it in the last two games) and now that some youngsters got their feet wet last season we expect a lot more but nobody really knows...
Pro Football Focus did say we have the best pair of starting cornerbacks in the NCAA, Dez Lawrence, MJ Stewart, and one publication named Stewart a 1st team, pre-season, All American...
Safeties are veteran and good, quality backups here as well as the corners...
Front 7 may be much improved and are big, strong and athletic, with DEs being our biggest worry, two new starting LBs who played last year...
Special teams are solid,
Logan returns kickoffs and is always a threat
Ryan Switzer (starting slot receiver) returns punts and the next one he takes to the house will tie the NCAA career record for punts returned for touchdowns...
new Australian punter - Tom Sheldon, formerly Aussie Rules Football...
I'm sure there are topics I haven't covered and I will stop by later if there are questions but we have a big game one week earlier in Atlanta against UGa which will be televised so you will be able to see for yourselves unless it is the same time as your home game on 9/3...
I'll be watching that game in the parking lot of Qualcomm as I tailgate with my son a recent SDSU grad (we are Aztec season ticket holders) and we expect those Aztecs to be very good this year...
this is just my opinion, to beat UNC your offense is gonna' have to move the ball a lot which will keep our O off the field and add to your score, but if you start going 3 and out it's going to be a very long day for the Illini; last year the Heels were #1 in the NCAA in yards per play and most of us actually expect the offense to be better but this is an early season game so who knows...