Trio of Tar Heel Football Players Land on Preseason Watch Lists

More preseason honors continue to roll in for UNC football players ahead of the 2021 season, including a trio of upperclassmen this week.

Junior offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu, senior defensive lineman Raymond Vohasek and junior punter Ben Kiernan all landed spots on watch lists for awards this week.

The Football Writers Association of American named each Ezeudu and Vohasek to the preseason watch list for the 2021 Outland Trophy. Given each year, the award recognizes standout interior linemen in college football, choosing between both offensive and defensive candidates. The news came on the same day Ezeudu earned a spot on the preseason All-ACC Team. Returning for his fourth season at UNC, since he red-shirted his freshman year, Ezeudu is expected to help anchor an offensive line returning all of its starters to protect junior quarterback Sam Howell, who also landed on the preseason All-ACC Team on Tuesday.

Vohasek also earned a spot on another watch list: the Nagurski Trophy. Also awarded by the Football Writers Association of America, the trophy goes to the top defensive standout in college football across the country. Set to play his third season in the Tar Heel program, Vohasek will look to build on his 2020 production of 29 total tackles, seven of which were for losses, and 3.5 sacks.

Additionally, Kiernan will start the season on the 2021 Ray Guy Award watch list. The honor goes to the nation’s top collegiate punter, as decided by the Augusta Sports Council. The Dublin, Ireland, native was named a Top 4 Player by the award group last season for the weekend where UNC played No. 2 Notre Dame in 2020. Over 22 games with Carolina, Kiernan has punted 94 times for a 42.2 yard average.

The Carolina football program is set to hold its opening practice for the upcoming season in one week, August 5. UNC opens its 2021 schedule with an away game at Virginia Tech on Friday, September 3.

Photo via Carolina Athletics/Jeffrey Calamati.

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