UNC Football: 13 Tar Heels named to Athlon Sports’ All-ACC Preseason Team

13 members of the UNC Football team were named to the Athlon Sports All-ACC preseason team last week.

The grass is greener, the air is warmer, and the calendar is heading to Summer and we get that much closer to UNC football. This upcoming season is expected to be a special one for North Carolina with many predicting the program to be one of the teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Many believe Mack Brown and the UNC football program’s time has come and a lot of that has to do with the culture they’ve built the last two seasons.

In year one of Mack Brown’s return, the UNC football program went 7-6 overall, 4-4 in the conference, didn’t crack the Associated Press poll top 25, and finished the season with a win in the Military Bowl. In year two, the improvement was clear with an 8-4 overall record, 7-3 in the conference, finished with a ranking of 18th in the AP poll, and made the Orange Bowl despite a tough loss. The improvements over the last season did not stop at a better record, as Carolina also improved on offense averaging 41.7 points per game in last season versus 33.8 the season before.

The constant improvement in play combined with gaining another year of experience in the same system justifies the expected hype.

Last week Athlon gave their annual All-ACC Pre-Season Team, which is a prediction on which players are expected to be the top players at their position in the ACC. This year, 13 members of the UNC football program made the cut, for second-most picked behind Clemson’s 15 selections.

Snagging All-ACC Preseason first team is quarterback Sam Howell and offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu. It’s a no-brainer that Howell made first team with many predicting him to not only be the best quarterback in the ACC, but the entire nation.

The 320-pound junior Ezeudu was a big part of the offensive line last season, blocking for the 9th best offense in the country and earning second-team All-ACC. This marked Howell’s 2nd year in a row making the list as he was predicted and earned the second-team All-ACC last season, however, for Ezeudu this was his first time making the list after failing to make it the year prior.

Defensive back Tony Grimes and defensive lineman Raymond Vohasek, both repping the defense, made the second team after an impactful performance last season. Grimes had 14 tackles, 1 interception, 1 sack, and 3 pass deflections as a freshman. Vohasek, who is entering his senior season, had 3.5 sacks, 3 passes defended, and 29 total tackles, which 8.5 came with a loss of gain.

Making the preseason third team is running back Ty Chandler, defensive back Trey Morrison, and offensive lineman Jordan Tucker. Chandler is a dynamic transfer from Tennessee who will be looking to fill the cleats left behind by Michael Carter and Javonte Williams. Morrison ended the season with promise with 7 tackles and a sack in the Orange Bowl, and Tucker will be looking to continue his dominance to the opposing line in his senior season.

Finally, there were six Tar Heels that made the fourth team including Brian Anderson, Josh Downs, Storm Duck, Tomari Fox, Tomon Fox, and Ben Kiernan. Senior Anderson will continue his contributions for the offensive line. Punter Kiernan, who isn’t often needed due to dynamic offense scoring power, is consistent when called upon. Downs

should be in for a big year running the routes that got Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome drafted in the NFL. Duck, who is returning from injury after missing 10 games last season, will be a force in the secondary, and the Fox brothers are set to bring the pressure as both finished top 3 in sacks last season with Tomon leading the team with 7.

Be sure to keep up with Keeping it heel for coverage on the UNC Football program.