College football has been gone for nearly two full months now, but the return of what has essentially become a year-round sport is right around the corner.

UNC announced Thursday that it will begin spring practice on Feb. 28, leading up to its annual spring football game at Kenan Stadium on April 8.

In total, the Tar Heels are scheduled to practice 13 times before taking the field for the spring game.

During that time, there will be plenty of storylines that begin to take shape–both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Safety Donnie Miles will bring much-needed experience to the UNC defense this spring, and in 2017. (Smith Cameron Photography)

The most important thing to watch for is the competition to replace Mitch Trubisky at the quarterback position. Nathan Elliot was the backup last season, but redshirt freshmen Chazz Surratt and Logan Byrd will each have a chance to make their case.

Surratt, a North Carolina native who was named Parade’s National Player of the Year as a high schooler coming out of East Lincoln High School, should have the edge in any type of competition thanks to his dual-threat ability and the way it fits with head coach Larry Fedora’s offense.

UNC will also need to replace its top three wide receivers, top three offensive lineman and top two tailbacks.

What that means is that there will be a plethora of fresh faces running the Tar Heel attack this spring, all looking to establish themselves as contributors for next season.

Defensively, the sudden resignation of coordinator Gene Chizik after two seasons leaves new coordinator John Papuchis to come up with a solution for a group that took a step back after making great strides the year before in 2015.

The Tar Heels ranked among the nation’s worst run defenses, while also intercepting just one pass during their 8-5 campaign in 2016.

This year could go a long way in establishing the long-term credibility for Fedora, as well–providing him a chance to show that he can build a consistent winning program, rather than just one or two great seasons.

Plenty of challenges will present themselves for UNC, but spring practice gives the team an early opportunity to begin ironing out the kinks now.

By April 8, fans should have a much clearer picture of what they’re likely to see in the fall.

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