First Looks: North Carolina Football
Whether there is a season or not, seeing your favorite team in preparation will ignite a fire in you, and seeing North Carolina football did just that for fans.
In almost two years, Coach Mack Brown knew Carolina would be contagious. Keeping Carolina kids home has been his motto, along with finding good kids, who want the same outcome as the program. Back in November, Brown saw the writing on the wall and knew that the few hiccups would smooth themselves out, propelling them into championship status.
"We should have a chance to be really good next year," he said. "I think we'll definitely have a better team next year; I think we'll have a lot of those great young defensive players coming in that we've recruited, some real speed on offense, and then I think we'll be special in two more years."
The class of 2020 is headlined with names such as Josh Downs, Desmond Evans, Kendrick Bingley-Jones, and newly reclassified, Tony Grimes. The class is currently ranked No. 13 nationally and No. 2 in the ACC; just the prior year, North Carolina was ranked nationally at No.30.
UNC's 2021 class is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC with 17 commitments, with 14 prospects from North Carolina. The Tar Heels have not had a recruiting class finish in the top 10 since 2007, and have not finished in the top five since 1999.
Since returning to Chapel Hill in groups, the program had to find creative avenues in the 'new normal'; practicing with masks, staying in a bubble, and rotating workouts are all apart of the game plan for ensuring the health and safety of players. Earlier in the year, Brown pointed out the changes to be made, and the uncharted territory will be a learning experience for everyone involved.
"And then do you have different types of practices? Do you have different numbers at different times? Do you have a staff meeting in the Swofford Team Meeting Auditorium to spread people out further?" Brown questioned, "Do you have to meet with your first two groups and not your third group at the same time and then have two different meetings. Do you have to have two team meetings, a defensive team meeting, and an offensive team meeting? What will the training table look like? Will we have carry-out more than people sitting together?
"So all of those things are things now that will happen that are different again. It's like we're in a constant mode of sudden change, and there's a lot of unknowns out there that we've still got to continue to work toward."
But the team seems to be adjusting well. Tar Heel football released content from workouts showcasing that even in the 'new normal,' somethings will never change.
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