UNC Football Spring Game: A closer look at the WR/TE

The 2021 edition of the UNC football season got underway on March 23rd, as the team began Spring practice. The Tar Heels went 8-4 in 2020, which culminated in an Orange Bowl loss to Texas A&M. UNC football returns 18-of-22 starters from last season, and 21-of-22 starters from the Orange Bowl, including a recruiting class that ranked 13th in the country.

The UNC football Spring Game is scheduled for Saturday April 24 at 3:00pm and can be seen on the ACC Network.

In anticipation of the Spring Game and the fall season, we will take a look at each position group, beginning with the offense. This is the third article in the series, and the positions that we will explore today are the wide receivers and tight ends.

Despite losing Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome who accounted for a combined 109 receptions for 1783 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2020 to the NFL, the wide receiver group is still one that is full of talented potential. It is a group that will not only be expected to catch passes from Heisman candidate Sam Howell but to also block downfield on rushing plays.

Mack Brown has gone on record as stating that sophomore Josh Downs has been the best receiver at Spring practice and is slated to start in the slot position this Fall. His four receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the Orange Bowl was a major statement for the young man.

The next two players will see a large amount of playing time in the Fall but neither are participating fully nor at all in Spring drills. Senior Beau Corrales is coming off of an injury in 2020 but when healthy, he is one of the most reliable pass catchers on the team as well as an excellent downfield blocker on rushing plays. Sophomore Khafre Brown is a star in the making. The Charlotte, North Carolina native is actually faster than his NFL-bound older brother and averaged 22.5 yards per catch in limited action last season.

The two players that round out the top five are junior Emery Simmons and senior Antoine Green.

In Simmons, North Carolina has a player with excellent hands and a tremendous catch radius that has flashed his potential before.  Green has the size and speed to be a major contributor in 2021. The team fully expects him to build upon his performance in the Orange Bowl where he had a touchdown reception.

There will be a need for additional wide receiver production in 2021. Receiver’s coach Lonnie Galloway has ten other players that he is developing to continue the long line of talented pass catchers that have called Carolina home. The opportunity is there for any of these young men to grab that opportunity. They are juniors Gray Goodwyn, and Carson Burgess. A talented group of sophomore receivers competing for time are Stephen Gosnell, Tylee Craft, Jeffrey Saturday and Justin Olson.

Redshirt freshman Landon Stevens is also in the mix. The wide receiver room is completed by the talented group of Freshmen Gavin Blackwell, J.J. Jones and Kobe Paysour. There are definitely future stars in the room and it will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

At the tight end position, coach John Lilly has five talented young men competing for time. They are expected to not only catch passes from Howell but at times to also stay back and protect him.

The ability to block on rushing attempts is also a prerequisite to get on the field in live situations.

The top two players currently on the depth chart are senior Garrett Walston and sophomore Kamari Morales.

Walston is a player that checks off all three boxes. He can catch, pass protect and run block. The team will be looking for him to expand on his 13.4 yards per catch and two touchdowns from 2020. Morales has really taken advantage of the off-season program and is primed to be a solid contributor.

The remaining three tight ends are sophomore Will Crowley as well as redshirt freshmen John Copenhaver and Kendall Karr. Just as it is with the wide receivers, there will be opportunities for playing time for these young men. They just have to take advantage of their chances when they are given.

The 2021 version of the UNC football offense figures to be explosive. The first test in Blacksburg, Virginia will tell us quite a bit. My advice to you is to have your popcorn ready because it is going to be a heck of a ride.

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