UNC Football: Status update on several key players against Notre Dame

UNC football faces Notre Dame this weekend in a big game, as they look to improve to 4-0. What players will return from injury? What about Don Chapman?

There is positive injury news regarding UNC football’s game this upcoming weekend against Notre Dame at Kenan Stadium.

Spencer Rolland and Myles Murphy have returned to practice, while Josh Downs, Caleb Hood, and Antoine Green all have a shot to play this upcoming weekend.

With the exception of Murphy, the other four guys missed the team’s last game against Georgia State. This comes a day after it was announced that Downs was “on track” to play this weekend, as he’s missed the last two games.

Elsewhere, safety Don Chapman remains on the team and will play this upcoming weekend. Just over a week ago, the veteran defensive back was arrested on a slew of charges. Head coach Mack Brown announced that with the “information gathered”, Chapman will be able to play.

Fellow safety Ja’Qurious Conley will not be playing this weekend, as Brown officially announced on Monday. Initially, he was expected to be nearing a return by now, but the team is taking is slowly with him. Conley has yet to practice, as he continues to recover from a major left knee injury suffered last season.

Conley’s continued absence makes Chapman’s return even bigger. Cam’Ron Kelly and others have struggled on the back-end of UNC’s secondary in 2022 so far, which has led to high-scoring affairs. The defense has allowed 468.3 total yards per game through three contests.

Heading into the season, Downs and Green were the team’s top two wide receivers. Just a month into the year, and those two have combined for just one game. Their inclusion back into the lineup would come at a perfect time for quarterback Drake Maye, although the offense has been far from the problem thus far.

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