Anticipation is building for the coming UNC football season, and the Tar Heels will enter Week 1 ranked in at least one national poll. Carolina charted at No. 20 in the preseason Coaches Poll on Monday.

Also representing the ACC in the poll are No. 8 Florida State and No. 9 Clemson. Pittsburgh, NC State, Miami and Duke also received votes but were not ranked. As it stands, the Tigers are the only Carolina opponent this coming season to be ranked in the poll.

UNC is coming off an ACC Coastal Division title and a 9-5 record in 2022, though the team lost its final four games after starting 9-1 and cracking the Top 15 of the College Football Playoff poll. The Tar Heels are led by preseason ACC Player of the Year Drake Maye at quarterback. Maye won Player of the Year honors in 2022 and is viewed as a top contender for the Heisman Trophy and a likely first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.

Also returning to the fold is All-ACC linebacker Cedric Gray, who led the conference in total tackles last season. Though star wide receiver Josh Downs is now in the NFL, Carolina revamped its receiving corps with the additions of Kent State’s Tez Walker and Georgia Tech’s Nate McCollum through the transfer portal.

Carolina will open the season against South Carolina in Charlotte on September 2 at 7:30 p.m. For a full look at the Coaches Poll, click here.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward

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