As the UNC football team heads into its first Orange Bowl appearance Saturday against No. 5 Texas A&M, the 13th-ranked Tar Heels will be without the services of four top players who opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft — a harsh reality that comes with having the program reach new heights.
The dynamic running back tandem of Michael Carter and Javonte Williams will join receiver Dyami Brown and linebacker Chazz Surratt in sitting out UNC’s first major bowl appearance since 1950.
All four players achieved All-American status for their efforts this season, becoming the first Tar Heels to do so since 2015.
Quarterback Sam Howell will be without his top three weapons on offense against a motivated Texas A&M team angry after being the first team left out of the College Football Playoff. The UNC defense will also be without its captain, making this game into an uphill battle before it even starts.
Head coach Mack Brown told reporters Monday that while he and many other people are disappointed these players won’t be available, he fully supports their decisions.
“Our job is to help all of these young players, whether they were recruited by Coach Fedora, or brought in by us, and help them have better options when they get through with their playing career here,” Brown said. “These four young guys have done that. We gave them options, we tried to educate them on what’s out there for them and then it’s their job to make decisions that are best for them. That’s no different than anybody else on our team.”
This issue isn’t unique to UNC, however, as a majority of the nation’s top programs have to deal with this each year due to the amount of talent they possess.
To win games at a high level, a team needs talent. Talented players are coveted by the NFL — where millions of potential dollars await.
In the coming years, Brown hopes to have recruited enough talent where these draft decisions won’t have as much effect on the field.
With both Williams and Carter out, the running game will rely on players who mainly play special teams–like British Brooks, Josh Henderson and Elijah Green.
For positions with young talent, this presents a different opportunity. Sophomore linebacker Eugene Asante fits that mold, as he gets a chance to show why the coaching staff has been so high on him by stepping into Surratt’s shoes alongside Jeremiah Gemmel — a two-year starter trying to stay focused on the task at hand.
“I feel like bowl games are always a stepping stone for next year’s team,” Gemmel said. “Although we do have a lot of good players out, these players that are going to be playing this game are going to be playing for us next year. Even though we have these players out, we’re going in to compete, we’re going in to win, and we’re going in to improve for next year.”
Howell’s presence at quarterback should still allow the Tar Heels to move the ball on offense, while the talented group of wide receivers have the collective ability to cover for Brown’s absence.
It won’t be easy against a team as good as Texas A&M, but the players that are playing for UNC feel like they have something still to prove according to their head coach.
“They get it,” Brown said. “They know what we have to do to win, and they know that this is going to be a huge challenge. But they’ve also probably been a little offended that people are taken aback that we’ve lost some players and they don’t think there’s good ones on the team.
“So, they’ve got a little chip on their shoulder right now saying, you know, ‘We’ve still got some scholarship players here, man, come on now.’” the coach added. “So, that’s a good thing for them.”
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