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UNC Football: Tar Heels release first depth chart ahead of Cal game

By Brandon Griffin

CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 24: The North Carolina Tar Heels run onto the field for their game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Kenan Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - SEPTEMBER 24: The North Carolina Tar Heels run onto the field for their game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Kenan Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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UNC released their first depth chart ahead of the season opener against Cal

North Carolina Tar Heels football is almost here after months of long waiting and we couldn’t be happier.

The Tar Heels will open the 2017 season Saturday at home against Cal, their first home opener since the 2014 season against Liberty.

With the Cal game just a few days away, the Tar Heels released their first official depth chart on Monday, giving fans a glance at what to expect from a lineup standpoint.

Here is the depth chart the team released via Twitter on Monday afternoon:

After taking a look there are a couple things that stand out right away to us.

The Lack of Clarity

If you notice there are a lot of ORs mentioned. The OR means that no decision has been made on that position. There are 12 spots that have an OR next to it.

This includes the obvious and not so obvious.

The obvious category includes quarterback where the early departure of Mitchell Trubisky has left the team with a summer long competition. Even with the addition of transfer Brandon Harris, there still seems to be no clarity at one of the most important positions.

The other obvious categories are running back, where UNC lost their top three rushers and kicker after the graduation of Nick “the leg” Weiler.

In the less obvious category is the defensive line. According to the depth chart there are eight guys fighting for four spots. This can either mean UNC has lots of depth or lots of question marks.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – OCTOBER 01: Head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels Larry Fedora watches his team before the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Gammons/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – OCTOBER 01: Head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels Larry Fedora watches his team before the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Gammons/Getty Images) /

The Omissions

Probably more surprising are the players that didn’t make the chart.

First off there is the running back.

Despite the OR neither Johnathon Sutton nor Auburn transfer Stanton Truitt were included.

The omission of Sutton is the more glaring as he appeared to be the best option for the bell back position vacated by Elijah Hood.

The other omission is at offensive line, where Tommy Hatton failed to be included. Hatton played extensively at left guard last season where he filled in for the injured Caleb Peterson.

The fact that he is listed at neither the guard or center position definitely raises questions.

Outside of those two the fact that neither Juvall Mollette nor JT Cauthen was listed under any of the three receiver positions also should make fans wonder what is going on.

What does this mean?

It is hard to tell. With so many ORs so close to game day, does this mean the team is unsure or is Fedora playing mind games with the Cal coaches?

The head coach spoke about the quarterback situation at his Monday presser but didn’t reveal much in terms of who will start.

In fact, he even hinted that the team could use 2-3 quarterbacks on Saturday.

Next: Larry Fedora meets media ahead of Cal game

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell until UNC hits the field. Hopefully, if this just about uncertainty and the coaches get it figured out quickly. If not this could be a long season for the Tar Heels.

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