The 2024 Tar Heel football season is one that has as many unknowns as any in recent memory for the program. Gone are the good vibes from Mack Brown’s return to Chapel Hill after two straight late-season collapses and in have come the questions of whether or not the game has passed the Hall-of-Famer by. He will look to prove that is not the case when the team returns to the field in August, but there are a lot of question marks and position battles that need to be answered with his team before then. Here is a look at the best storylines to monitor in spring practice which got underway earlier today.
Quarterback
The first five years under Brown have seen the team be led by two of the best quarterbacks in program history, but this offseason he is faced with a legitimate battle for the starting job. Sophomore Conner Harrell started the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and showed some nice promise, but he left the door open for veteran transfer Max Johnson. Johnson, who the team added in November, is a veteran of 22 starts between LSU and Texas A&M and has had some nice stretches of success between both schools. Harrell will be stiff competition for him, though, after he showed some really promising flashes in the bowl game against West Virginia. He showed that he can make throws at all three levels and has the mobility to add a designed quarterback run element to this offense. Brown said on Monday that he expects this battle to have a similar timetable to the battle Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell had a couple of years ago, but it's hard to believe this one will be quietly decided after the summer like that one and the previous one involving Sam Howell were.
Offensive Line
Brown expressed frustration with the way the offensive line played in the bowl game and how important it is that they protect whoever they roll with at quarterback. There is a lot of work to do to be able to do that at a high level with so many unknowns about the unit. There is uncertainty about where guys like Willie Lampkin and Austin Blaske will play, which is why we just left this battle to watch as the full offensive line. Lampkin, Blaske and Trevyon Green are safe assumptions to be a part of the starting, but two of the jobs will be up for grabs. Transfer Jakiah Leftwich and Zach Greenberg will not be joining the program until the summer, meaning that the door will be open for guys like Howard Sampson, Jonathan Adorno, Zach Rice and Eli Sutton to make an impression on the staff and prove they’re worthy of being part of the rotation. Malik McGowan is a sleeper to keep an eye on in the interior of the unit, especially before Greenberg’s arrival.
Safety
Just like the offensive line, there is some interchanging that could happen with these two safety spots, so we’ll just open it up to both as the battle we'll be watching. Stick Lane is back and seems like the best bet to be a starter after the way he played at the end of the season, but with a new defensive scheme in place, he’ll have to prove to Geoff Collins that he fits what he wants to do. Will Hardy and NC State transfer Jakeen Harris are veterans who will also have a good chance to see significant reps, especially early in the fall. Those are the only veterans in the room, though, meaning the door is wide open for the young guys to step up. It will be interesting to monitor not only who emerges as the starters, but what the rotation at the position will look like, too.
Outside WR
The wide receiver room will only have one player who played extensive snaps a year ago in the spring, meaning there is plenty of opportunity available to the young guys in this room. Both outside receiver spots will have starting reps up for grabs over the next month until J.J. Jones and Gavin Blackwell return for fall camp. While Jones will return to a starting role when he’s back on the field, the same can’t necessarily be said for Blackwell, meaning if someone makes that good of an impression, there might be another battle in this room during the fall. Chris Culliver, Christian Hamilton and Paul Billups are returning players that will have a great opportunity and Jordan Shipp and Alex Taylor will also have a tremendous opportunity as true freshmen that enrolled early.
Backup RB
Brown confirmed that this would be a battle and will involve the three running backs that will be active in the spring besides Omarion Hampton. USC transfer Darwin Barlow brings some nice experience and is probably the favorite, but Brown raved about the offseason that Caleb Hood had and if he can stay healthy, he is capable of winning the battle. The sleeper is true freshman early enrollee Davion Gause, a physical downhill back who is capable of breaking tackles, something that the team may need behind Hampton if the offensive line continues to struggle in run blocking like they did a year ago.