UNC Football: Two Tar Heels make ESPN Top 100 list

The UNC football program has two current players who made the cut for ESPN’s Top 100 players ranking heading into the 2021 season.

With the start of the college football season beginning this week, ESPN released their annual ranking of the nation’s top 100 players prior to opening kickoff. The UNC football program is represented on the list by two of their current student-athletes.

And the two Tar Heels that made the list really shouldn’t be all that surprising.

Sam Howell is, of course, the first Tar Heel on the list, as the junior quarterback comes in at No. 5 overall. Jumping up 17 spots from a season ago, Howell is the second-highest quarterback on the list behind Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, who sits atop the rankings at No. 1.

Here’s what the ESPN staff had to say in regards to Howell:

"“In his first two seasons at UNC, Howell blossomed into arguably the country’s best QB, accounting for 76 TDs and more than 7,400 yards. More importantly, he has rejuvenated the Tar Heels’ program, bringing a sense of swagger to a team that had won just four games in two years prior to his arrival. Now, Howell commands one of the country’s most prolific offenses and has UNC fans thinking about the playoff.”"

Howell most certainly has the Tar Heels and their fans thinking about the College Football Playoff this season, and this defensive standout — who also made ESPN’s list of 100 players — could definitely help the program get there.

Cornerback Tony Grimes comes in at No. 80 on the top 100 list. The rising sophomore arrived on campus earlier than originally anticipated, but it didn’t take long for him to make a major impact.

"“A five-star recruit, Grimes was set to be the crown jewel of Mack Brown’s 2021 signing class. But when his home state of Virginia nixed the fall high school football season due to COVID-19, Grimes reclassified, finished high school early, and enrolled at UNC last August. He saw limited action until November, then blossomed into one of the top corners in the ACC, allowing just eight completions on 22 targets without a touchdown. His breakout performance came in the Orange Bowl, when he finished with three tackles, a TFL, two pass break-ups and didn’t allow a completion.”"

After re-classifying, Grimes joined the Tar Heels a year early; and he didn’t take long to adjust. Once he got into a groove, Grimes quickly developed into one of the top corners in the conference, and it’s widely expected that he’ll make an even bigger jump this season having a full year of experience under his belt.

Both Howell and Grimes are expected to make a major impact for the UNC football program in 2021. Although preseason rankings don’t really amount to much, it’s nice to see that some of the Tar Heels’ top players are earning some well-deserved recognition heading into the upcoming college football season.

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