One of the best two-sport athletes in the history of Carolina athletics is getting the ultimate honor in the sport he dominated as a pro. Julius Peppers will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 3, joining Chris Hanburger (2011) and Lawrence Taylor (1999) as Tar Heels to be enshrined. The 2024 Hall of Fame Class was announced Thursday.
Category: Football
UNC’s QB legacy helped lure 6–5 ‘football savant’ Max Johnson
CHAPEL HILL — The quarterback legacy Sam Howell and Drake Maye created goes well beyond their on-the-field accomplishments at North Carolina, and is a big reason the program attracted 6–5 Max Johnson.
UNC football team in transition gets four non-conference games before starting ACC play
With a new quarterback and a new defensive coordinator, North Carolina will have four non-conference games to settle in next season before getting into league play with a game at Duke in the new 17-team ACC as the league announced the schedule Wednesday.
UNC’s football opener at Minnesota one of 16 Week 1 ACC games
The sixth season of Coach Mack Brown’s second stint as North Carolina’s coach will begin on the road with a game on Thursday night, Aug. 29, against Minnesota. That matchup was previously announced and is part of the ACC’s Week 1 schedule that the league announced Monday on ACC Network.
Tar Heels in NFL: Heck’s Texans and Green’s Lions advance in playoffs
Only two Tar Heels remain in the NFL playoffs heading into next weekend’s divisional round — Houston offensive lineman Charlie Heck and Detroit wide receiver Antoine Green. Both saw limited action on wild-card weekend.
Tar Heels in NFL: Howell finishes up-and-down season with league-high 21 interceptions; four UNC alums are in the playoffs
Sam Howell finished an up-and-down season as the first Washington quarterback to start every game since Kirk Cousins in 2017, with a league-high 21 interceptions and likely competition for the job next season.
Tar Heels in NFL: Carter has best game of season; Howell plays better in surprise start; Downs has impressive pass play
Michael Carter had his best game of the season, juking a defender to the ground on one play, to help the Arizona Cardinals earn a road upset of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Good, Bad and Ugly Report: West Virginia
Prior to UNC’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl game vs. West Virginia, I made a post on the app formerly known as Twitter begging UNC fans not to make the bowl game a referendum on the entire program given the fact that 12 starters plus a number of key reserves would not be playing for a variety of reasons.
UNC finishes frustrating season finish with another discouraging loss
CHARLOTTE — Quarterback Conner Harrell showed plenty of athleticism, speed and running skills in the challenging role of taking over for Drake Maye. In his first college start, the redshirt freshman was impressive at times but also made a couple of ill-advised passes playing without the same talent around him. West Virginia ultimately made all the big plays in a 30–10 Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory in Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday night.
Tar Heels in NFL: Howell, benched again, has career-worst game; Downs has 9 catches in homecoming game; Chandler, Williams score TDs
Sam Howell again didn’t play well, but his receivers’ struggles didn’t help. For the second consecutive week, Washington coach Ron Rivera benched the struggling quarterback and got a spark off the bench from former N.C. State quarterback Jacoby Brissett.