Offense will be a Work in progress for Tar Heels Football 2017

By Derrick Clyburn

This will be a very interesting football season for the North Carolina Tar Heels. There are so many holes to fill on the offensive side of the ball. Summer is here and there’s only two months before some major decisions have to be made at the quarterback and running back positions. The wide receiver corps is not much better, but they do have a few returning players with game experience. Let’s look at the wide open quarterback and running back positions and introduce you to the prime candidates vying for starting spots.

Is the Offense Reloading or Rebuilding

The Quarterbacks

Brandon Harris

6’3 220lbs Grad Student, LSU, Bossier City, LA

The third-ranked dual-threat QB coming out of high school, Harris was definitely frustrated at LSU, having to hand the ball off to Leonard Fournette 30 plus times a game. He felt that he didn’t have the chance to develop as a quarterback with the ground and pound system that was run at LSU.

Brandon will get the chance to run the zone read-spread option offense at North Carolina. In a spread option, you need a quarterback who can run the option effectively. Marquise Williams was the last quarterback to run the zone read-spread option offense at a high level. Williams and Harris are similar in size, with similar skill sets (Williams is 6’2, 216 and Harris is 6’3, 218). Harris will have a chance to take full ownership of the offense with so many young inexperienced players. His ability to run the ball and throw the deep pass will keep defenses off balance. It will be fun to watch.

Fedora’s offense is a better fit for Harris than the ground and pound attack at LSU. He will get to throw the football more than 16 times in a game. Hopefully, Harris is a quick study in learning the offense and building chemistry with the skilled players around him. The Tar Heels will need it.

Nathan Elliot

6’1 195lbs Sophomore, Celina HS, Celina, TX

Elliott is the only one in the group to have played a college snap. He completed 8-of-9 passes last season for 55 yards.

Nathan connected with Thomas Jackson on a 9-yard pass play vs. The Citadel.  He completed 5 of 6 pass attempts for 30 yards, including a long of 20 yards to Jordan Cunningham, in a 56-28 win over James Madison.

Red-Shirts

Chazz Surratt

6’3 205lbs RS-Freshman, East Lincoln HS, Denver, NC

Surratt was named Parade All-America and Parade National Player of the Year as a senior. Named The Associated Press offensive player of the year in North Carolina. He was Gatorade State Player of the Year. A Two-time first-team AP All-State selection. MaxPreps National Small Schools Player of the Year. Chazz broke the state record for career total yards with 16,593. He also owns the state record for touchdowns with 229 career scores. Chazz threw for 3,536 yard, 51 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions during his senior season. He also ran for 1,345 yards and 15 more scores. Surratt led East Lincoln to 30 straight wins. He broke the state record for total offense held previously by Charlotte Independence quarterback and three-time state champion Chris Leak.

Logan Byrd

6’3 230lbs RS-Freshman, Veterans HS, Warner Robins, GA

Bryd was a Four-star recruit who was ranked the No. 15 pro-style quarterback in the country by 247sports.com. He was considered the No. 32 player overall in Georgia. Logan played in the Semper Fi All-America Bowl. He was ranked the No. 20 player in Georgia by ESPN.com. A Three-year starter who threw for 3,902 yards with 27 touchdowns at Veterans High School. Byrd rushed for 930 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior.

These Players will have to be a Quick Study for this Offense

The Running Backs

Jordan Brown

5’9 185lbs Sophomore, Southern Durham HS, Durham, NC

2016 – True Freshman Season
Jordan as a true freshman played in five games and had 20 rushing attempts for 45 yards. He rushed for five yards and his first career touchdown vs. Stanford in the Sun Bowl. Brown rushed three times vs. The Citadel. He had six carries for 31 yards and a reception for 15 yards in a 48-20 win over Georgia Tech, including a career-long 17-yard gain.

Stanton Truitt

5’9 185lbs Grad Student, Auburn University, Atlanta, GA

Truitt is a graduate transfer who joined the Tar Heels in March, 2017. He has two years of eligibility remaining (2017, 2018). In 2016 at Auburn, he ran for 187 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. Truitt caught seven passes for 100 yards and one touchdown. Stanton had his best game in a win over Arkansas with three touchdowns, including two rushing scores and one receiving. He rushed eight time for 78 yards and caught a 45-yard TD pass against the Razorbacks. Truitt rushed for 32 yards on four carries in a win at Mississippi State and he caught two passes for 17 yards against Clemson.

Incoming Freshman

Michael Carter

5’9 185lbs Freshman, Navarre High School, Navarre, FL

Carter graduated early from high school and enrolled at UNC in January, 2017. He was a USA Today Florida Offensive Player of the Year. Michael was named 6A Mr. Football by the Florida Dairy Farmers Association. He was ranked the No. 49 running back in the country, No. 23 in the South and No. 9 in Florida by Scout.com. Carter posted 3,345 all-purpose yards, including 2,536 rushing yards, and scored 45 touchdowns as a senior.

Conclusion

We really don’t know what to expect from these prospects this season. I’m sure Fedora will have them battling and competing for the open positions. Expect some surprises to take place between now and the time the first football game is played.

 

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