Top UNC Football players for 2017: No. 3 Malik Carney
Keeping It Heel continues its countdown of the top 25 players on the North Carolina Tar Heels roster with player No. 3
#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 | #6 Bentley Spain
#5 Cole Holcomb | #4 MJ Stewart
We continue to count down the weeks until college football season by revealing our list of the top 25 UNC players for the upcoming season.
NFL training camp has begun, and we are now in the second week of preseason games. Former Tar Heel and first round pick Mitch Trubisky had a huge debut for the Bears and gives the city of Chicago more hope, even as the Cubs struggle to make another World Series run.
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. 3, a junior defensive end other teams just couldn’t keep out of their backfield.
Position: Defensive End
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
High School: TC Williams
Last Season: Malik Carney finished last season with 47 tackles, 8.5 for loss, and 5.5 sacks. He also forced two fumbles and recovered one.
Carney only started 10 games last year, yet still led the team in sacks and was second behind only Nazair Jones in tackles for loss. His 14 tackles in the backfield were the most on the team by two.
The rising junior’s best game came against Miami. Against the Hurricanes, Carney had three tackles and sack. The sack came with less than two minutes to play and forced a fumble, which the Tar Heels recovered, helping preserve the seven point win.
Why he might move up this list: With regular playing time, Carney saw an uptick in reps and he used it to lead the team in sacks. The new defensive coordinator may look for more ways to get Carney near the quarterback.
Carney also shared time with other players at defensive end. With Mikey Bart now graduated and Tyler Powell more likely moving inside, Carney becomes the veteran leader at end.
Why he might move down this list: Again as stated, 5.5 sacks is not a lot, even if it did lead the team. It is possible Carney has already reached his peak.
Additionally, teams may not be caught as off guard as they were last year by Carney. A lot of top pass rushers find it more difficult in following seasons as teams game plan to stop them.
Carney also will have to hold off some younger players like Jake Lawler and Jason Strowbridge who will also help cover for the loss of Bart.
Prediction: So the question becomes can Carney continue to be a force? Last season he also benefited from playing next to Jones who clearly helped open lanes for him. Jones is gone, but the Tar Heels should still have a stout defensive tackle rotation.
So can Carney reach double digit sacks? I believe he can because I believe John Papuchis will put him position to succeed. Carney finishes the season with 65 tackles, 13 for loss, and 11 sacks.