UNC Football Preview: Linebackers
Our UNC Football previews for the 2019 season continue with the linebacker position
The North Carolina Tar Heels have one of the most inexperienced linebacker corps in the Atlantic Coast Conference, if not the nation.
Former UNC standout and current Washington Redskins linebacker Cole Holcomb is now gone, taking with him the 104 tackles he recorded last season. Those 104 tackles are 29 more than the Tar Heels’ entire group of returning linebackers, a trio that includes Dominique Ross (47), Jonathan Smith (27) and Jeremiah Gemmel (1).
The Tar Heels welcome in some new faces at the linebacker position this season, as well as shift some players over from other positions. They’ll also adopt a new defensive scheme under first-year UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman. If the Tar Heels hope to improve on last year’s lackadaisical defensive effort, though, they’ll have to adapt and excel quickly in a competitive Coastal Division.
What we know
Former UNC quarterback Chazz Surratt has made the transition from backup signal-caller to linebacker over the past eight months. He joins senior Allen Cater, junior Tomon Fox and sophomore Jake Lawler, who left their previous posts on the defensive line for a spot with the UNC linebackers.
It’ll be interesting to see how each of the players adapts in their new roles, and how effective they are in this year’s scheme compared to last. Fox and Lawler were both impressive last season, and very aggressive when going after the ball. Surratt is a terrific athlete who the coaches believe can be a difference-maker on defense. Still, though, there are those who doubt Surratt and his ability to transition to the defensive side of the ball, and he’s out to prove them wrong this season.
Maybe more important that the actual personnel this season, is the “positionless” scheme that Bateman employs, and how the players react to it. There could be a bit of a learning curve, particularly for the players unfamiliar with the linebacker position prior to this season.
The key players
Dominique Ross and Jonathan Smith are the veterans of the group, and they’ll need to help the younger players — as well as those who’ve made the switch from another position — get acclimated to the linebacker position. Chazz Surratt is probably the best athlete of the group, and may have the highest ceiling of any of the UNC linebackers.
Outlook
The Tar Heels have a largely inexperienced group of linebackers to begin the 2019 college football season. They’ll have to pick up the poisiton’s nuances quickly, and trust the scheme that Jay Bateman has laid out for them. Surratt has the athleticism and charisma to be a leader on and off the field, and the team will benefit from it. If they can get to the ball faster, and stop the run better than they did a season ago, then the Tar Heels figure to be a much better defensive unit in Mack Brown’s first year back in Chapel Hill.
Next. Mack Brown names freshman Sam Howell starting QB. dark
Depth chart
Outside Linebacker
Tomon Fox
Jake Lawler
Outside Linebacker
Allen Cater
Tyrone Hopper
Inside Linebacker
Jeremiah Gemmel
Matthew Flint
Middle Linebacker
Chazz Surratt
Dominique Ross
Jonathan Smith