UNC Football: Where Tar Heels rank in 247 Sports preseason Top 25

We take a look at where 247 Sports ranks the UNC Football program in their preseason Top 25 that was released here in June

It’s no secret that the North Carolina Tar Heels’ football program is receiving a lot of hype for the upcoming 2020 college football season. UNC has been included in the preseason Top 25 by most publications across the country as they look to build on their 7-6 campaign a year ago.

A lot of experts are high on the Tar Heels and for good reason.

They return quarterback Sam Howell who put together one of the best seasons overall by a UNC quarterback and set some records along the way. Most of UNC’s playmakers on offense are back for another year and they return key starters on defense as well including Chazz Surratt who finished tied in the ACC for tackles a year ago. Brown and his staff bring in an impressive 2020 recruiting class as he continues to build for the future.

The latest site to show the Tar Heels some respect is 247 Sports, who released their preseason Top 25 for the upcoming year.

Just a few days after listing the Tar Heels as the favorites in the ACC Coastal, the site ranked the Tar Heels as the No. 19 team going into next year. That ranking is good for second-best to Clemson in the conference as the Tigers are No. 2 overall.

Here is what 247 had to say about the Tar Heels:

"This is the program with the best chance to jump from fringe bowl team to divisional contender. Having freshman record-setter Sam Howell is the biggest plus in the North Carolina’s favor. He’s the type of passer who can elevate a program. The Tar Heels also bring back 17 starters, including 10 on offense. Another thing working in UNC’s favor? All six of its losses last season were by a possession or fewer. Those games won’t all go against the Tar Heels next year. What’s working against UNC? The Tar Heels have a brutal slate to open the year: UCF, Auburn and James Madison that could derail the campaign before the momentum can truly start rolling. Mack Brown has jumpstarted this program quickly, the ACC Coastal is, as always, there for the taking."

UNC will have a big chance to gain some more recognition on the national stage with their first two games of the year. The Tar Heels will head down to Florida to take on UCF which is ranked No. 20 by 247 Sports and then a neutral site showdown with Auburn, ranked No. 13 by 247.

A 2-0 start would be huge for the Tar Heels, especially with a tough non-conference schedule early on.  From there, they would need to take care of business in the ACC to get that rematch with Clemson.

For more on the UNC Football program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.