Top UNC Football players for 2017: No. 6 Bentley Spain
Keeping It Heel continues its countdown of the top 25 players on the North Carolina Tar Heels roster with player No. 6
#25 Noah Ruggles | #24 Tomon Fox | #23 Jordan Cunningham | #22 Tyler Powell
#21 Brandon Fritts | #20 Jonah Melton | #19 Stanton Truitt | #18 Myles Dorn
#17 Cayson Collins | #16 Michael Carter | #15 Tom Sheldon | #14 JT Cauthen
#13 Aaron Crawford | #12 Johnathon Sutton | #11 Juval Mollette | #10 Jalen Dalton
#9 Donnie Miles | #8 Thomas Jackson | #7 Brandon Harris
Keeping It Heel continues to count down the weeks until college football season by revealing our list of the top 25 UNC players for the upcoming season.
The college football season kicks off in about six weeks, and it will be here before we know it. NFL training camp has begun and college camp is right around the corner.
So what better way to get into the football mood than getting a sneak peek at the future of the Tar Heels.
Let’s take a look at player No. 6, the stalwart senior on the best unit the Tar Heels will put out on the field next season.
Position: Left Tackle
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
High School: Providence
Last Season: Spain started in all 13 games for the Tar Heels last season. He was the only Tar Heel offensive lineman to accomplish that, though William Sweet did play in all 13 contests.
Spain was the anchor that allowed the Tar Heels offense to be so successful. He helped the Tar Heels finish sixth in the ACC in total yards and seventh in points per game.
Additionally, he protected eventual first round pick Mitch Trubisky’s blindside, allowing him to have the record-breaking season he did.
Why he might move up this list: As a senior, Spain is one of the eldest players on the team. He also presents the most experience on the line with 23 career starts, most on the offensive line.
If UNC is going to continue to be offensively great and players like Brandon Harris and Johnathon Sutton have good seasons, it will be because of the play of Bentley Spain.
Why he might move down this list: Like so many other seniors on this list, there is no reason for Spain to move down. There is no competition here, Spain will man the left side of the line.
The only thing that could hurt Spain’s season is injury, similar to what happened when he missed four games his sophomore season. Otherwise, Spain should be one of the top linemen in the ACC, if not the nation.
Prediction: Spain will be protecting the blindside of one of the strongest units, not only on the Tar Heels but in the ACC. In fact, the Tar Heels might have a top 25 overall line. Offensive lines like that make questionable offenses look competitive.
The line is so deep that players like Jonah Melton and Billy Ross, two top offensive linemen from the class of 2017, probably will serve as backups if not redshirted due to the depth.
This is a great problem to have and one that should benefit UNC for many seasons to come, including this one where Spain starts every game and moves into the first round discussion for the NFL draft.