Top UNC Football players for 2017: No. 1 Andre Smith
Keeping It Heel continues its countdown of the top 25 players on the North Carolina Tar Heels roster with player No. 1
#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 | #3 Malik Carney | #2 Austin Proehl
We continue to count down the days until college football season by revealing our list of the top 25 UNC players for the upcoming season.
NFL preseason is almost over and the college football season has already begun with a few teams playing games last week.
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. 1, a linebacker who is the leader of the defense.
Position: Middle Linebacker
Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
High School: Trinity Christian Academy
Last Season: A lot like fellow linebacker Cayson Collins, Smith was a tackling machine. He finished second on the team with 113 tackles, including six for loss. He also had three pass deflections, a sack, and a forced fumble.
He had double digit tackles five times last season and was the heart and soul of the defense.
Why he might move up this list: As good as he was there is still yet another level I believe Smith can obtain. Just for reference Reuben Foster, last season’s Butkus Award winner, finished with 115 tackles and five sacks.
If Smith can add some more sacks to his repertoire, as well as a couple of interceptions, he could have a Trubisky type jump his junior year.
Why he might move down this list: Smith like so many other seniors, should be the undisputed starter on this team and according to the latest depth chart, he is.
So barring an injury or some other player having a breakout season, Smith has a great chance to remain number one.
Prediction: Smith has shown since he got to Chapel Hill that he is a special player. Even after an alright freshman season, it was still obvious he was a star in the making. His junior year should only showcase that even further.
Smith finishes the season with 118 tackles, 12 for loss, seven sacks, and three interceptions as former linebacker coach and current defensive coordinator John Papuchis puts Smith in all the right positions to succeed.