The Worldwide Leader in Sports is bullish on UNC football’s chances this season.
The Tar Heels cracked the top 10 of ESPN’s preseason power rankings, alongside the usual suspects such as Notre Dame, Clemson and Alabama. ESPN also ranked junior quarterback Sam Howell as the No. 2 returning quarterback in the country, behind only Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler.
Needless to say, expectations in Chapel Hill are sky-high for the 2021 season, after the 2020 campaign concluded with a berth in the program’s first-ever Orange Bowl. Season tickets are already sold out, as well as the home games against Duke, Florida State, and Miami. Individual tickets to the remaining contests are still available.
UNC’s season officially starts Wednesday as players report to training camp in Chapel Hill, with the first official practice being scheduled for Thursday morning in the Bill Koman Practice Complex. WCHL will be covering the practice as well as post-practice press conferences for Howell and head coach Mack Brown.
The Tar Heels open the regular season at Virginia Tech on Friday, September 3rd at 6 p.m. You can listen to the game on 97.9 FM or 1360 AM, or watch on television on ESPN.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Related Stories
‹

Chansky's Notebook: Mack is Back (Again)Mack Brown's midcourt ceremony at the Smith Center Monday night was a satisfying end to what had been an awkward UNC football saga.

Here's a List of Which Transfers Have Committed to UNC Football in 2026The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and closed Friday, Jan. 16. Here’s a list of players who have committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the portal so far, with their classes for the 2026 season: QB Billy Edwards, Jr. (Most recent school: Wisconsin, redshirt senior) Ranked 3rd in […]

Tributes Pour In After James Spurling, Director of Kenan Stadium, Dies at 68James Spurling, who served as the Director of Kenan Stadium and the Kenan Football Center in the heart of the UNC campus since 2006 and had been a Chapel Hill staple for many years prior, died Thursday. He was 68 years old. Tributes flooded in from across the Chapel Hill and UNC sports communities following […]

Financial Report Shows UNC Athletics Operated at $15 Million Deficit in 2024-25 YearThe newest financial report from the UNC athletic department to the NCAA shows the department operated at a deficit of more than $15 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The department reported revenues of $172,951,034 and reported expenses of $187,967,260. The UNC athletic department had operated at a profit in each of the past three […]

'Hard to Imagine': Newmark, Lombardi, Others Share Disbelief at Bill Belichick Hall of Fame VoteUNC football general manager Michael Lombardi and athletic-director-in-waiting Steve Newmark were among many sports figures to share their disappointment and surprise at reports that head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. An ESPN report published Tuesday night indicated Belichick, currently between his first and […]

Chansky's Notebook: Sophomore SlippageUNC's schedule for the 2026 football season is out, and Art Chansky says it is very, very bad news for Bill Belichick's second year.

Schedule Set for UNC Football's 2026 SeasonThe UNC football program now has its complete schedule for the 2026 season. The ACC revealed all of the league members’ schedules Monday night. Your 2026 North Carolina Football Schedule. 🐏 🔗: https://t.co/VQdkI47r8n🎟️: https://t.co/XERIbvZEH8 pic.twitter.com/6Zb5uSn1y3 — Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) January 26, 2026 UNC will open the season in Dublin, Ireland against TCU as part of […]

Several UNC Football Stars Will Return to Chapel Hill in 2026. Here's the Full List.In an era of unrestricted player movement in college football, teams are undergoing radical changes every offseason. Take UNC before the 2025 season, when the Tar Heels upended their roster and brought in 70 new players. This offseason, there is only one transfer portal window, between Jan. 2 and Jan. 16. More than two dozen […]

College Football's Transfer Portal Closed Jan. 16. Which Tar Heels Entered?The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and closed Friday, Jan. 16. It was be the only transfer portal window of the year for college football, as the NCAA moved to eliminate the spring transfer window earlier this year. Players do not have to have committed to and signed with a new school […]

Chansky's Notebook: Building DepthThese days, college football recruiting is more about the money the athletes can now make in what has become a semi-pro system.
›