As plans for the ACC to play college football this fall remain in place, Athlon Sports conducted interviews with coaches across the league while keeping their identities a secret.

The general consensus among those interviews–which were released on Monday–is that the rest of the ACC sees UNC as a real threat this season and moving forward into the future.

“It seems like the Mack Brown project is working so far,” one coach said. “They’re recruiting exceptionally well and drawing more interest than the program has seen in a long time.”

Another coach also credited Brown’s influnce by saying, “Where you’re really seeing his impact is in the personnel. Look at what he did with Chazz Surratt. You’ve got a backup quarterback at best who might end up being an NFL linebacker.”

The brilliant play of Sam Howell at quarterback last season as a true freshman also caught plenty of attention, especially with opposing coaches knowing he will have nearly all of his top offensive weapons returning.

“Sam Howell is only going to get better,” a coach said. “And almost everyone around him is back.”

A pair of other coaches have even started to look towards the top of the league in comparing the Tar Heels’ progress to that of perennial ACC powerhouse Clemson.

“The offensive line needs improvement over last year, but they looked better,” said the first coach. “Otherwise the offense might be the second best in the entire league behind Clemson.”

“They’re in line to make a run in the near future if they land the caliber of recruits they’re chasing now,” the second coach said. “This is the program that’s changed their identity in recruiting the most in our league. Outside of the Florida schools, this is a team built to chase Clemson.”

This just goes to show that the hype and expectations surrounding the UNC football program go beyond just the fans and the media.

The rest of the ACC is on high alert as the 2020 season approaches, while the Tar Heels aim to meet–and potentially surpass–all that is expected of them.

 

Photo via Matthew Fedder (UNC Athletics)

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