Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Dealing With Second Significant Offensive Lineman

@austin_blaske58

For the second time in the last week and a half, there are reports coming out of Tar Heel fall camp of a significant injury along the offensive line.

According to TarHeel247, projected starting center Christo Kelly has missed the last week or so and is currently out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury. As of right now, TarHeel247 says there is no timetable for his return.

Kelly, the Holy Cross transfer, had been working with the first team offensive line as the starting center since back in the spring and was expected to be the starter a couple of Mondays from now in the season opener. Kelly played in 36 games over the course of his five years in Worchester, including 23 starts at center. He started every game that he played in over the last two years on an offensive line that was regarded as one of the best units in the FCS. In 2023, as a junior, Kelly played 526 snaps over the course of ten games, earning third-team All-Patriot League honors while earning a 66.8 run block grade, a 63.0 pass block grade and a 67.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. This past season, he played a career-high 778 snaps and was named a first-team All-Patriot League member while posting a 59.4 run block grade, a 65.4 pass block grade and a 61.5 overall grade. In his two seasons as a starter, he has yet to allow a sack and has allowed just 12 total quarterback pressures.

This is a substantial blow for this Tar Heel offensive line, especially when you pair it with the injury to guard Austin Blaske that is expected to keep him out for at least the first four games of the regular season. With both of these guys on the shelf, offensive tackle Chad Lindberg is the guy who is rumored to be taking the snaps with the ones, despite never having played the position at the college level. Former walk-on-turned-scholarship player Bo Burkes is also a name to keep an eye on as a possible option if Lindberg is to struggle with the conversion. The hope is that the team is just being cautious with Kelly and that he will be able to return for the opener, but the fact that there is no timetable makes you wonder if that is actually going to be the case.