2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Larry Fedora and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The Tar Heels finished the season 8–5 overall and 5–3 in ACC play to place in a three-way tie for second in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Sun Bowl, where they lost to Stanford.

2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football
Sun Bowl, L 23–25 vs. Stanford
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
DivisionCoastal
Record8–5 (5–3 ACC)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorGunter Brewer (3rd season)
Co-offensive coordinatorChris Kapilovic (3rd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorGene Chizik (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
CaptainMack Hollins, Nazair Jones, Des Lawrence, Caleb Peterson, Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Weiler
Home stadiumKenan Memorial Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2015
2017 →
2016 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Atlantic Division
No. 1 Clemson xy$#   7 1     14 1  
No. 21 Louisville x   7 1     9 4  
No. 8 Florida State   5 3     10 3  
NC State   3 5     7 6  
Wake Forest   3 5     7 6  
Boston College   2 6     7 6  
Syracuse   2 6     4 8  
Coastal Division
No. 16 Virginia Tech xy   6 2     10 4  
North Carolina   5 3     8 5  
No. 20 Miami (FL)   5 3     9 4  
Pittsburgh   5 3     8 5  
Georgia Tech   4 4     9 4  
Duke   1 7     4 8  
Virginia   1 7     2 10  
Championship: Clemson 42, Virginia Tech 35
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

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National Signing Day was on February 3, 2016 and was the first chance for high school seniors to officially declare which university or college they will be attending for their college career. North Carolina had 26 high school seniors sign a National Letter of Intent to play football with them. Of the class, 7 athletes enrolled early to UNC.[1]

US college sports recruiting information for 2016 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Jordon Brown
RB
Durham, NC Southern Durham HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 4.56 Aug 17, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 79
Logan Byrd
QB
Kathleen, GA Veterans HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 4.89 Apr 9, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Kyree Campbell^
DT
Woodbridge, VA Woodbridge HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 305 lb (138 kg) 5.44 Aug 5, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Allen Cater
DE
Kennesaw, GA Mount Paran Christian School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 242 lb (110 kg) 5.32 Feb 3, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 73
J.B. Copeland
LB
Southlake, TX Navarro College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) N/A Feb 4, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 74
Nolan DeFranco
DE
Winter Garden, FL West Orange HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 226 lb (103 kg) 4.89 Jun 17, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 75
Myles Dorn
WR/DB/S
Charlotte, NC Julius L. Chambers HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.58 Dec 5, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 79
Marlon Dunlap
DT
Charlotte, NC West Charlotte HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 290 lb (130 kg) 5.24 Oct 26, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 75
Luke Elder
OG
LaGrange, GA LaGrange HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 282 lb (128 kg) 5.55 Jun 21, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 78
D.J. Ford
S
Lineville, AL Clay Central HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) N/A Jan 17, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 73
Tomon Fox
DE
Suwanee, GA Collins Hill HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 232 lb (105 kg) 4.88 Jun 21, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 82
Rontavius Groves
WR/CB
Nashville, TN Pearl-Cohn HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 4.5 Dec 6, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 76
Tyrone Hopper
LB
Roswell, GA Roswell HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 4.74 Jun 16, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 75
Roscoe Johnson
WR
Union, SC Union County HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 4.5 Jul 15, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 77
Jay Jay McCargo
OT
Arlington, VA Bishop O'Connell HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 283 lb (128 kg) 5.4 Apr 25, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 79
James Pierre^
S
Deerfield Beach, FL Deerfield Beach HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 4.61 May 19, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 76
Tyler Pritchett
OG
Auburn, AL Auburn HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 290 lb (130 kg) 5.5 Apr 14, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 78
Patrice Rene
CB
Alexandria, VA Episcopal HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 4.57 Jan 20, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Gregory Ross
S
Oxon Hill, MD Potomac HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 4.55 May 23, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 74
Dominique Ross
LB
Jacksonville, FL Trinity Christian Academy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) N/A Jun 16, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 77
K.J. Sails
S
Gibsonton, FL East Bay HS 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 164 lb (74 kg) 4.5 Feb 3, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 74
Jonathan Smith
LB
Laurinburg, NC Scotland HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 229 lb (104 kg) 4.77 Aug 17, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 76
Chazz Surratt
QB
Denver, NC East Lincoln HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 4.5 Jun 26, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Noah Turner
TE
Mundelein, IL Carmel Catholic HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 237 lb (108 kg) 4.69 Jul 3, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 75
Garrett Walston
TE
Wilmington, NC New Hanover HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (100 kg) N/A Oct 8, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 79
Myles Wolfolk
CB
Upper Marlboro, MD Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 4.5 Nov 29, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 74
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 25   Rivals: 25  247Sports: 36  ESPN: 34
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "North Carolina Football Commitment List (19)". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  • "2016 North Carolina Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  • "North Carolina Tar Heels 2016 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  • "North Carolina 2016 Football Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.

^These signees will not be enrolling at UNC in 2016 due to not being admitted into the school.[2][3]

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 35:30 p.m.vs. No. 18 Georgia*No. 22ESPNL 24–3375,405[4]
September 107:30 p.m.at Illinois*BTNW 48–2360,670[4]
September 173:30 p.m.11 (FCS) James Madison*ACCRSNW 56–2856,000[4]
September 243:30 p.m.Pittsburgh
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ESPNUW 37–3654,500[4]
October 13:30 p.m.at No. 12 Florida StateESPNW 37–3577,584[4]
October 83:30 p.m.No. 25 Virginia TechNo. 17
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ABC/ESPN2L 3–3433,000[4]
October 153:30 p.m.at No. 16 Miami (FL)ABC/ESPN2W 20–1358,731[4]
October 223:00 p.m.at VirginiaNo. 22ACCRSNW 35–1440,882[4]
November 512:30 p.m.Georgia Tech No. 21
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ACCNW 48–2058,000[4]
November 107:30 p.m.at DukeNo. 17ESPNL 27–2839,212[4]
November 193:30 p.m.No. 5 (FCS) The Citadel*
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC
ACCN+W 41–741,000[4]
November 2512:00 p.m.NC State
  • Kenan Memorial Stadium
  • Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)
ESPNL 21–2859,000[4]
December 302:00 p.m.vs. No. 18 Stanford*CBSL 23–2542,166[4]

[5]

Personnel

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North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora enters his fifth year as the North Carolina's head coach for the 2016 season. At the end of the 2015 season, assistant head coach, Seth Littrell, was hired as the head coach at North Texas.[6] As a result, co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Chris Kapilovic, was promoted to offensive coordinator, and will retain his role as offensive line coach.[7] Former Tar Heel player, Chad Scott, was hired to replace Littrell as the tight ends/hybrids coach.[8]

Roster

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2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 10 Mitchell Trubisky Jr
QB 11 Nathan Elliott   Fr
QB 12 Chazz Surratt Fr
QB 14 Logan Byrd Fr
QB 16 Manny Miles   Fr
RB 1 Khris Francis Sr
RB 2 Jordon Brown Fr
RB 8 T. J. Logan Sr
RB 27 Darius Graves So
RB 32 Jacob Schmidt So
RB 33 Antonio James So
RB 34 Elijah Hood Jr
RB 38 David Smith Jr. So
FB 47 Don Mastromatteo Sr
WR 3 Ryan Switzer Sr
WR 4 Rontavius Groves Fr
WR 5 Juval Mollette   Fr
WR 7 Austin Proehl Jr
WR 9 Roscoe Johnson Fr
WR 13 Mack Hollins Sr
WR 15 Jordan Cunningham Jr
WR 17 Anthony Ratliff-Williams   Fr
WR 18 Josh Cabrera So
WR 21 Devin Perry So
WR 28 Dante DiMaggio So
WR 48 Thomas Jackson Jr
WR 81 Hunter Smith So
WR 84 Bug Howard Sr
TE 80 Jake Bargas   Fr
TE 82 Brandon Fritts So
TE 83 Garrett Walston Fr
TE 86 Carl Tucker   Fr
TE 87 Noah Turner Fr
TE 89 Jared Worley   Fr
OT 51 William Sweet   Fr
OT 67 Charlie Heck   Fr
OT 71 Jon Heck Sr
OT 75 Bentley Spain Jr
OT 76 R. J. Prince Jr
OT 77 John Ferranto Sr
G 70 Caleb Peterson Sr
G 72 Mason Veal   Fr
G 73 Brad Henson Jr
C 52 Tommy Hatton   Fr
OL 55 Jay-Jay McCargo Fr
OL 57 Tyler Pritchett Fr
OL 58 Nick Polino   Fr
OL 62 Mark Uptegraff Jr
OL 69 Jonathan Trull Jr
OL 78 Layton Barber Fr
OL 79 Luke Elder Fr
C 68 Lucas Crowley Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
CB 2 Des Lawrence Sr
CB 6 M. J. Stewart Jr
CB 18 Corey Bell Jr. So
S 15 Donnie Miles Jr
S 16 Stephen Albright   Fr
S 26 Dominquie Green Sr
S 27 Jaye Stackhouse   Fr
S 29 J. K. Britt So
S 31 Cameron Albright So
DB 5 Patrice Rene Fr
DB 8 Greg Ross Fr
DB 9 K. J. Sails Fr
DB 11 Myles Wolfolk Fr
DB 13 Jesse Cuccia So
DB 16 D. J. Ford Fr
DB 19 Robert Morgan Jr
DB 20 Thomas Brown So
DB 21 Myles Dorn Fr
DB 24 Zach Goins So
DB 28 Simeon Gatling Fr
DB 35 Chris Ripberger Jr
DB 48 Robert James So
LB 4 Allen Artis Jr
LB 7 Jonathan Smith Fr
LB 10 Andre Smith So
LB 20 Dominique Ross Fr
LB 23 Cayson Collins Jr
LB 25 Ayden Bonilla So
LB 30 Hunter Crafford Jr
LB 36 Cole Holcomb So
LB 38 Keith Beasley Jr. So
LB 41 J. B. Copeland Jr
LB 42 Tyrone Hopper Fr
LB 44 Sam Blobe So
LB 52 Kemmi Pettway Jr
LB 54 Johnathon Sutton   Fr
LB 57 Marlon Petty Jr
DE 12 Tomon Fox Fr
DE 17 Dajuan Drennon Jr
DE 33 Allen Cater Fr
DE 45 Mikey Bart Sr
DE 53 Malik Carney So
DE 55 Jason Strowbridge   Fr
DE 58 Josh Strickland So
DE 91 Nolan DeFranco Fr
DE 96 Matt Gampe So
DE 98 Connor Barringer Jr
DT 49 Jeremiah Clarke So
DT 90 Nazair Jones Jr
DT 92 Aaron Crawford   Fr
DT 93 Robert Dinkins So
DT 94 Marlon Dunlap Fr
DT 97 Jalen Dalton So
DL 95 Tyler Powell Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 24 Nick Weiler Sr
K 90 Connor Albrecht So
K 95 Tolson Jeffrey So
K 98 Freeman Jones So
P 14 Joey Mangili Sr
P 39 Tom Shelton Fr
P 91 Hunter Lent So
LS 41 Kyle Murphy Jr
LS 61 Tommy Bancroft So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

Roster

Game summaries

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Vs. Georgia

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1 2 3 4 Total
#22 Tar Heels 0 10 14 0 24
#18 Bulldogs 7 7 9 10 33

At Illinois

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1 2 3 4 Total
Tar Heels 17 7 7 17 48
Fighting Illini 14 2 0 7 23

James Madison

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1 2 3 4 Total
#11 (FCS) Dukes 21 0 7 0 28
Tar Heels 14 21 14 7 56

Pittsburgh

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1 2 3 4 Total
Panthers 5 14 14 3 36
Tar Heels 0 16 7 14 37

At Florida State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Tar Heels 7 14 7 9 37
#12 Seminoles 0 7 7 21 35

Virginia Tech

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1 2 3 4 Total
#25 Hokies 6 7 14 7 34
#17 Tar Heels 0 3 0 0 3

At Miami (FL)

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1 2 3 4 Total
Tar Heels 10 10 0 0 20
#16 Hurricanes 0 3 7 3 13

At Virginia

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1 2 3 4 Total
#22 Tar Heels 7 7 14 7 35
Cavaliers 0 7 0 7 14

Georgia Tech

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1 2 3 4 Total
Yellow Jackets 7 10 3 0 20
#18 Tar Heels 17 10 14 7 48

At Duke

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1 2 3 4 Total
#15 Tar Heels 14 7 6 0 27
Blue Devils 0 21 7 0 28

The Citadel

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1 2 3 4 Total
#5 (FCS) Bulldogs 0 0 0 7 7
Tar Heels 14 17 10 0 41

NC State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Wolfpack 14 7 7 0 28
Tar Heels 0 7 0 14 21

Stanford–Sun Bowl

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1 2 3 4 Total
#16 Cardinal 7 6 3 9 25
Tar Heels 7 0 10 6 23

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP22RVRVRVRV17RV22211815RVRVRV
Coaches20RVRVRV2316RV212017132425RVRV
CFPNot released2117Not released

References

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  1. ^ "North Carolina 2016 Football Commits". 247 Sports. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  2. ^ McAllister, Michael. "Syracuse Adds 2016 3-star Safety James Pierre". Scout.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  3. ^ Callahan, Don. "DT Signee Kyree Campbell Denied UNC Admission". Scout.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "2017 UNC Football Media Guide" (PDF).
  5. ^ "2016 North Carolina Tar Heels Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "North Texas hires UNC off. coordinator Littrell as coach". USA Today. December 5, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  7. ^ Martin, Ross (February 3, 2016). "UNC promotes Coach Kap to offensive coordinator". 247Sports. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "UNC Announces New TE Coach Chad Scott". Scout.com. January 29, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.