Keeping It Heel
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Top UNC Football players for 2018: No. 14 JK Britt

By Brandon Griffin

BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 21: Safety J.K. Britt #29 of the North Carolina Tar Heels attempts to tackle quarterback Josh Jackson #17 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 21: Safety J.K. Britt #29 of the North Carolina Tar Heels attempts to tackle quarterback Josh Jackson #17 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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Keeping It Heel continues its countdown of the top 25 players on the North Carolina Tar Heels football roster with player No. 14

#25 Dyami Brown | #24 Johnathon Sutton | #23 Matthew Flint | #22 JT Cauthen | #21 Offensive Line | #20 Freeman Jones | # 19 Myles Wolfolk | #18 Beau Corrales | # 17 Carl Tucker | #16 Aaron Crawford | #15 Thomas Jackson

The college football season kicks off in about three months, and it will be here before we know it.

NFL teams are right in the middle of OTAs, as they get looks at some of their new players including former Tar Heels M.J. Stewart, Austin Proehl, and Andre Smith. With football on our minds, we decided to take a look at the upcoming season for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Let’s take a look at player No. 14, a safety who was a big stopper for the Tar Heels in the backfield.

Position: Safety

Hometown: Newnan, Georgia

High School: Newnan

Last Season: In 2016, Britt spent most of his time on special teams. He was set to do the same in 2017 until a season-ending injury to Donnie Miles against Notre Dame opened the door for Britt, and he ran right through it.

Following the Notre Dame game, Britt had 47 tackles and an interception in the final six games of the season. UNC went 2-4 in those games, and helped the defense play better in the last half. He finished fifth on the team in tackles, despite starting just half of the games.

Why he might move up this list: In three of those six games, Britt had at least nine tackles, including 11 in just his second game as a starter. Safeties who can bring players down have value, and Britt will be looked upon to keep players from breaking through the defense for big gains this season.

Why he might move down this list: With only six starts, there is still a lot for Britt to prove. Sometimes that is a good thing. With the half-season that Britt had, though, it could be a bad thing, as he may have already peaked or teams could find ways to expose him more.

If Britt does struggle, Myles Wolfolk will be waiting in the wings to take on a bigger role in the defense.

Prediction: The safety spots seem set. Britt did enough in his short playing time to have earned a starting role next to Myles Dorn. Barring an injury, he should be able to have another big season for the Tar Heels.

Britt continues his strong play, finishing in the top-three on the team in tackles with 85 while getting three interceptions and a sack.

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