UNC Football to be without numerous key contributors for spring practices

With the start of spring practices looming, head coach Mack Brown spoke to the media regarding his team's upcoming opportunity to take the field.

One of the major developments that Brown spoke about how the UNC football program will be missing some key contributors for spring practices. Here's the players who will not participate:

Gavin Blackwell
JJ Jones
John Copenhaver
Bryson Nesbit
Timmy Lawson
Jordan Louie
Julian Randolph

Of the seven players listed, six are offensive skill players, which isn't very good news for the UNC football program.

Why? Well, in case you haven't been following, there's a quarterback competition brewing in Chapel Hill, as it would be nice for the key skill players to get some work with both players that are competing for the job.

Blackwell and Jones once again figured to be key contributors at wide receiver, while Copenhaver and Nesbit are two dynamic tight ends that provide so much to the UNC football program's offense. As they all apparently are dealing with various injuries, they'll be forced to sit out the spring practices, as the hope is that they'll be ready to go come training camp.

If you're looking for good news, it appears that wide receiver Kobe Paysour will be ready to go when spring practices begin. The injury bug got Paysour good during the 2023 season, as he was sidelined due to one foot injury and then suffered another upon his return to practice right before the Tar Heels' bowl game.

Spring practices serve as a great way for coaches to gauge what they have on their current roster, as the Tar Heels will be thin at the wide receiver and tight end positions. The good news is that North Carolina knows what those players are capable of: it's a matter of getting them ready for kickoff on opening weekend.