Last season, the UNC football team set a pair of lofty goals—hoping to win the ACC Coastal Division for the first time, while also defeating their three biggest in-state rivals.

A year later, that mission has been accomplished.

As a result, the Tar Heels showed up in Charlotte at 2016’s ACC Media Day facing some of the highest expectations the program has ever seen.

With the amount of returning talent it has–both on offense and defense—UNC is among the favorites to claim the Coastal Division yet again.

Ryan Switzer has spent his first three years in  Chapel Hill making quite a name for himself--both as a returner and a receiver. (UNC Athletics)

Ryan Switzer has spent his first three years in
Chapel Hill making quite a name for himself–both as a returner and a receiver. (UNC Athletics)

The most important piece, though, is someone who’s never started a game.

New starting quarterback, Mitch Trubisky—the first big-time recruit at his position under head coach Larry Fedora–spent the last two years learning behind Marquise Williams. Now he’ll finally get his chance to shine.

However, his transition will certainly be made easier by all of the veteran playmakers around him—including his roommate, senior wide receiver Ryan Switzer.

“I joke with Mitch all the time at the house about how fortunate he is to step into the position he’s in,” Switzer told reporters. “I don’t know of any other team that’s returning what we’re returning on offense.”

The agile slot-man is expected to be a huge focal point of the high-speed Tar Heel attack, but he’ll also be flanked by a pair of receivers 6-foot-4 or taller in Mack Hollins and Bug Howard.

Then there’s the bulldozer in the backfield—junior tailback Elijah Hood. After posting the second most prolific rushing season in school history as a sophomore, you can expect him to receive another heavy workload.

On top of that, the team returns four of its five starters on the offensive line.

“It’s not so much that we outdo ourselves, or outdo the numbers we put up,” Switzer said. “We just gotta continue to be more consistent on a drive-to-drive basis—and make sure that we don’t waste all the weapons we do have.”

While a majority of the media attention this offseason has been given to the UNC offense, the defense should be able to make yet another stride in its second year under defensive coordinator Gene Chizik.

Despite losing a pair of veteran linebackers in Jeff Schoettmer and Shakeel Rashad, young faces like Andre and Jonathan Smith are expected to bring a new level of explosiveness. T

he strength of the defense, though, should again be in the secondary–with senior Des Lawrence leading the way.

“We’re just trying to reach new heights,” Lawrence said Thursday. “I think that everybody is challenging themselves to be better—and that of course is gonna make our defense better.

Tar Heels vs Cavaliers

Physicality and aggressiveness are two of the defensive principles Gene Chizik has instilled in the Tar Heels since arriving as defensive coordinator prior to last season. (Photo via Smith Cameron Photography)

“Me personally, I’m challenging the secondary to be better than we were last year,” he continued. “I think we were top 10, top 15 [nationally] in most categories.”

As the countdown continues toward the Tar Heels’ season opener in Atlanta against Georgia—an SEC powerhouse loaded on both sides of the ball–it’s clear why Fedora doesn’t want expectations for his team blown out of proportion.

“We’re excited about [opening the season against Georgia],” Fedora said. “It’s kind of a measuring stick that says ‘Where are we at this point?’

“At the same time, we know that a game like that doesn’t make or break our season.”

The talent is there, yes, but the Tar Heels schedule also includes road games at Florida State and at Miami.

It’ll be a difficult task for UNC to repeat its 8-0 ACC record from 2015, but here in speculation season anything—and I mean absolutely anything–is possible.