The North Carolina Tar Heels lost a lot of talented skill players but return perhaps the most valuable QB in the country to keep them humming.
The college football season should return to a sense of normalcy in 2021. During this offseason, I want to highlight the top skill players of the projected best college football teams. Just to give everyone an idea of the players that will light up the scoreboards and fill up the Twitter timelines with highlights. Throughout college history, these are the players that fans remember and the ones that fill the Heisman ballot every year. From dynamic quarterbacks like Robert Griffin, Johnny Manziel, and Lamar Jackson, to bulldozing running backs like Bo Jackson and Derrick Henry. Even WRs such as Desmond Howard and DeVonta Smith, are the players that live on in college football lore. The series will continue with a team on the rise in the ACC, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Key Offensive Skill Players:
- QB Jr. Sam Howell, Heisman front runner and potential #1 overall pick, will hope to silence any doubters in most likely his final season on campus.
- RB Sr. Ty Chandler, transfer from Tennessee has big shoes to fill, but has the talent to step in and make an impact.
- WR Sr. Beau Corrales, enters the season as the most experienced pass catcher and will look to be Howell’s #1 target.
Sam Howell already has tied the North Carolina career passing touchdown record. With another 3,000 yard season, he should easily become the career passing yards leader as well. The transition to Mac Brown as the head coach in Chapel Hill has gone smoothly mainly due to Howell’s talents. There are high expectations for the third year signal-caller, but he does have some questions coming into this season. He loses high draft picks Michael Carter and Javonte Williams to hand the ball off to, and Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown out wide. While the veteran offensive line should help, the offense will be more on his arm than ever.
I asked Josh Wingate of the Diamond State Scouting Podcast his thoughts on Howell’s potential:
“Howell is getting a ton of buzz for the 2022 NFL Draft because of the success he had in the 2020 season. Howell is built like a running back at 6’1 220lbs and runs like one too. He is often seen trying to stiff arm and run defenders over, but he has to remember as a Quarterback he has to protect his body rather than putting it in harm’s way. With that being said, his athletic ability is used well within the pocket and he has a good ability to escape the pocket, when he needs to. I would like to see Howell improve on his pocket awareness, because I have seen him destroy his pocket by stepping up into pressure, rather than moving away from it.
Howell has a good arm and average accuracy, but it is to be said that he has fantastic weapons who can high point the ball and bully their way to a reception.. Before I give a grade on Sam Howell I am going to have to see his upcoming season, because, as of right now, I am not sure he is as elite as everyone is saying.”
Carter and Williams depart but Chandler arrives.
With the exit of two of the most talented backs in the country, the Tar Heels only had one player in the room with starting experience. The addition of Ty Chandler and his 28 career starts with the Tennessee Volunteers, gives the group a massive boost. Chandler is a native resident of North Carolina and former four-star recruit, so this is a homecoming of sorts. While he has not flashed a spectacular season, he has had two 600-yard years. Overall, he has run for 2,046 yards over the past four seasons and hauled in 58 receptions. With a more talented team around him, Chandler should find more running room and be able to showcase his vision a bit more in the open field.
Chandler should be the starting running back on this team, but British Brooks should still get playing time. He started in the bowl game for North Carolina. He had 15 carries for 53 yards. North Carolina fans have said Brooks is the heart and soul of the team. He was also the special teams most valuable player in 2020. Additionally, he should be able to pack a punch and be more of the bruising type in the room. Junior Josh Henderson and freshman Caleb Hood should rotate in as well.
Who will emerge as the #1 option from the wide receiver corps?
ESPN’s Monday Night Football preview team does a segment called “You just got Mossed,” where a receiver will leap up high and make the catch over a defender. Beau Corrales had many receptions in 2020 that would have been featured on that segment. Against Florida State alone he had multiple leaping catches, finishing with 4 catches for 141 yards. Corrales dealt with injuries last year, appearing in only four games, but in those appearances, he totaled 238 yards with 18.3 yards per catch. He stands at 6’3” and should be a go up and get it type of receiver for Howell. Every quarterback needs a guy that he can trust and Corrales should be that player. Due to his talent and size, I expect Corrales to lead the Tar Heels in receiving yards this season.
Sophomore Khafre Brown does not possess the same size as Corrales, but he has very dynamic breakaway speed. He was also third on the team in receiving yards in 2020 with 337 yards. That total came on just 15 receptions for an astonishing 22.5 yards per reception. Brown is actually the younger brother of Dyami and he might possess a similar talent level. He is a former four-star recruit and flashed when the opportunities arose last year. This year he should have one of the starting roles. There are questions whether that will be from the slot or the outside however because he has not shown a lot of ability to beat a cornerback who is pressing him. If he can do a better job at that, he should take another leap.
Sophomore Josh Downs got a start in the bowl game a year ago when Dyami Brown decided to opt out. He took advantage, hauling in 4 balls for 91 yards. Look for him, like Khafre Brown, to play a much larger role in the offense. I will not try and predict who will end up with a better statistical season, but both should have an impact as they continue to get experience and improve.
Walston should be one of the better tight ends in the ACC.
Sam Howell should have a nice security blanket in senior tight end Garrett Walston. He played the somewhat untraditional H-back role, spending time in-line at tight end and as a fullback freeing up space for the running backs. He ended up with 19 catches for 255 yards in 2020 and with a lack of experience at the wide receiver position, should improve upon those numbers this season. Over his career he has caught 29 of the 40 targets that came his way, showcasing solid hands. Expect Walston to be more of a pass-catcher this year than he has been in seasons past. The Tar Heels need to rely on his experience and he may have a big first couple of games as the wide receivers get their feet underneath them.
The North Carolina Tar Heels offense will be led by the arm of Howell. How he adjusts to not having the bevy of weapons that he had the last few years will be the key to the season. A strong offensive line should make life easier on not only him, but Ty Chandler as well. Matching 41.7 points per game seems impossible. However, I think they can live up to the 2019 offense who scored 33.1 points an outing. If the defense improves, UNC should have a solid chance at winning the division and potentially challenging Clemson in the conference.
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