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Richards' debut headlined an overall performance Phil Longo was "really happy with," the offensive coordinator said Monday. After allowing a sack on the UNC's second play from scrimmage, the offensive line allowed just one more all game and "really answered" the call in an improved second half, he said. And on the left side, that started with Richards. The three-star recruit from Pennsylvania appeared in nine games last fall as a true freshman, but he never started or played major snaps. That was logical, given that senior Charlie Heck was firmly entrenched at left tackle for the Tar Heels in 2019. But with Heck's departure - a second-team All-ACC selection and fourth-round NFL Draft pick, he now plays for the NFL's Houston Texans - Richards became the heir apparent at one of football's most important positions.

And the only new starter on UNC's offensive line. "I had all the emotions," Richards said Tuesday of his first start. This summer, Richards said, was huge for him. Quite aware he'd have the chance to play a lot in 2020, he found it easy to dedicate himself in workouts, even if they were conducted over Zoom. He also stayed in Chapel Hill rather than returning home to Philadelphia, which helped him zero in further. The 6-foot-4 Richards (first name pronounced AH-sum) moonlit at tight end and defensive lineman while playing basketball in high school - and at 305 pounds, he's one of the team's lightest offensive linemen. "Asim is somebody we really have to depend on," Longo said. "He's very, very athletic. He's the kind of tackle you want to recruit and have in the program. You wish they all looked like he did." - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#14 OG) Sr/2023

OG Asim Richards, North Carolina
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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09/14/20 - Chazz Surratt, rSr/2021, North Carolina, 6-2, 229 (DS#3 ILB) + More +

SEPT 14 ACC LINEBACKER OF THE WEEK: Chazz Surratt, North Carolina, Gr., LB, Denver, N.C.,...Led the Tar Heels with nine tackles in Saturday's 31-6 season-opening win over visiting Syracuse...Preseason All-ACC selection set new career highs with two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. - Atlantic Coast Conference Football

(DS#3 ILB) rSr/2021

ILB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina
News Source: Atlantic Coast Conference Football
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09/14/20 - Corey Gaynor, rSr/2024, North Carolina, 6-3, 303 (DS#29 C) + More +

SEPT 14 ACC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: Corey Gaynor, Miami, Jr., C, Parkland, Fla.,...Miami's top-graded offensive lineman in Thursday night's 31-14 season-opening win over UAB...The Hurricanes piled up 337 rushing yards - the second-most recorded by a Miami squad since joining the ACC in 2004 - while Gaynor made his 14th consecutive start in the middle of the offensive line. - Atlantic Coast Conference Football

(DS#29 C) rSr/2024

C Corey Gaynor, North Carolina
News Source: Atlantic Coast Conference Football
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09/14/20 - Chazz Surratt, rSr/2021, North Carolina, 6-2, 229 (DS#3 ILB) + More +

North Carolina coach Mack Brown listed the pass rush as one of his big concerns entering this season. He wanted the defensive front to get pressure without needing to blitz. Frankly, after they totaled 31 sacks last year as a defense, Brown needed the blitzes to work, too. In the No. 18 Tar Heels' 31-6 victory over Syracuse on Saturday, Brown got both. The pass rush spearheaded arguably the most complete defensive effort of Brown's reboot in Chapel Hill. Yes, it's only a snapshot against a Syracuse team that has its own questions to answer offensively. But Carolina's defense showed it won't need the offense to carry the team this season. The Tar Heels can win on defense. "We kind of took a chip on our shoulder going in knowing the kind of guys we got playing on the defensive side of the ball," linebacker Chazz Surratt said in a postgame video conference. "I'm just really glad we played the way how we're supposed to play, and I think we can be really good on defense. We got a lot of really good guys up front in the back, and I think the sky's the limit of our defense."

UNC recorded seven sacks, its most in a single-game since doing the same against Pittsburgh in 2013. The six points allowed were the fewest against an ACC opponent since holding Duke to the same on Nov. 7, 2009. Five different players got in on the sacks including Surratt and Fox, who had two apiece. Surratt gave part of the credit to the Heels' secondary, whose coverage often made Orange quarterback Tommy DeVito hold the ball longer. DeVito finished with just 112 passing yards and his 22-yard completion to receiver Taj Harris was the only play Carolina allowed of more than 20 yards. "Our secondary is really, really good," Surratt said. "They kind of bide time for us to get back there and make plays on the quarterback." - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#3 ILB) rSr/2021

ILB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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09/14/20 - *Javonte Williams, Jr/2021, North Carolina, 5-10, 212 (DS#3 RB) + More +

SEPT 12 WEEK 2 STARS: Javonte Williams, North Carolina, ran for three fourth-quarter TDs and the No. 18 Tar Heels overcame a mistake-filled performance to beat Syracuse 31-6. - AP College Football

(DS#3 RB) Jr/2021

RB *Javonte Williams, North Carolina
News Source: AP College Football
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09/12/20 - *Javonte Williams, Jr/2021, North Carolina, 5-10, 212 (DS#3 RB) + More +

Javonte Williams ran for three fourth-quarter touchdowns and No. 18 North Carolina overcame a mistake-filled performance to beat Syracuse 31-6 on Saturday in the season opener for both teams. Michael Carter added 138 yards of total offense for the Tar Heels (1-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won in an empty home stadium after the school opted to open with no fans in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tar Heels opened with a touchdown drive only to sputter well into the third quarter in a performance plagued by turnovers and penalties. But they gradually settled into a rhythm, looking much more like the team expected to be a contender in the ACC race. By the fourth quarter, they were rolling, with Williams scoring from 1 yard out on the first play of the period followed by a 6-yard score on the next drive. And by the time he bounced off a tackler and scored on another 6-yard run, the Tar Heels had turned a 10-6 lead into a 25-point margin. - North Carolina/AP College Football

(DS#3 RB) Jr/2021

RB *Javonte Williams, North Carolina
News Source: North Carolina/AP College Football
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09/10/20 - *Josh Downs, Jr/2023, North Carolina, 5-09, 171 (DS#5 WR) + More +

Mack Brown quipped after the Heels first scrimmage that freshman Josh Downs was, "going to play a lot." Longo said the learning curve for Downs right now was more physical than mental. The 5-foot-10, Suwanee, Ga., native is adjusting to the tempo, like running consecutive deep routes without coming out of the game. "He's come in a little more polished than a typical freshman," Longo said. "He's a little bit sharper with routes. From an athletic standpoint, he's a great change of direction slot receiver. He's got great vertical speed. He catches the ball really well." - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#5 WR) Jr/2023

WR *Josh Downs, North Carolina
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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09/06/20 - Sam Howell, Jr/2022, North Carolina, 6-1, 224 (DS#5 QB) + More +

This time last season, Howell was the reason why no one really knew what to expect from the Heels. Now, heading into the season opener against Syracuse, Howell is the reason why so many around the nation expect so much from UNC. If Howell can avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, he should again compete with Lawrence to lead the ACC in passing yards. Howell fell just 25 yards short of doing so last season. Carolina hasn't had a quarterback lead the league in passing yards since Chris Keldorf did it with just 2,347 yards in 1996. - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#5 QB) Jr/2022

QB Sam Howell, North Carolina
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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09/05/20 - Tomari Fox, rSr/2024, North Carolina, 6-2, 288 (DS#88 DT) + More +

Calling North Carolina's Tomari Fox a positionless player is a bit of a misnomer. He actually can play every position on the defensive line for the Tar Heels and opponents trying to scout him just may see that during the course of the same game. Fox, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound sophomore, is both physical enough to battle in the interior of the line and quick enough to be on the outside and rush the passer at defensive end. If the package calls for it, he can even drop back off the line in pass coverage, although the Heels won't have him backpedaling on too many occasions. "I'm not sure the best player on defense isn't Tomari Fox," UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman told reporters on Wednesday's Zoom call. "We'll move him around. We don't want people to really know where he is."

Fox is expecting to take a big leap in his second year after appearing in 12 games as a freshman. Bateman said Fox will primarily line up at defensive tackle and his usage could be compared to that of Jason Strowbridge last season. Strowbridge, who was the Miami Dolphins' fifth-round pick in April, moved around on the line so opponents wouldn't automatically know which way to steer their blocking. "Part of the deal with Jason last year was they couldn't always know where he was," Bateman said. "It was like, 'if he's lined up in the boundary, let's block that way,'" Bateman said. "Tomari is gonna be in a very similar role when we are in some of those packages for sure." - Raleigh News Observer

(DS#88 DT) rSr/2024

DT Tomari Fox, North Carolina
News Source: Raleigh News Observer
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08/24/20 - Chazz Surratt, rSr/2021, North Carolina, 6-2, 229 (DS#3 ILB) + More +

2021 SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: Chazz Surratt, North Carolina,...Surratt was the runner-up for ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors last season after recording 115 tackles in his first season at linebacker. The converted quarterback finds himself on the watch lists for the Bednarik, Butkus and Nagurski awards. - North Carolina Football

(DS#3 ILB) rSr/2021

ILB Chazz Surratt, North Carolina
News Source: North Carolina Football
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08/24/20 - Dazz Newsome, Sr/2021, North Carolina, 5-10, 190 (DS#28 WR) + More +

2021 SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: Dazz Newsome, North Carolina,...Newsome was a second team All-ACC selection after hauling in 10 receiving touchdowns and 1,018 receiving yards, both career highs, in 2019. He is listed on the 2020 Biletnikoff Award Watch List, given annually to the season's outstanding FBS receiver. - North Carolina Football

(DS#28 WR) Sr/2021

WR Dazz Newsome, North Carolina
News Source: North Carolina Football
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08/24/20 - Michael Carter, Sr/2021, North Carolina, 5-08, 201 (DS#4 RB) + More +

2021 SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: Michael Carter, North Carolina,...After posting career high figures in rushing (1,003) and all-purpose (1,623) yards last season, Carter has been tabbed for the Doak Walker (top running back) and Paul Hornung Award (top versatile player) Watch Lists this fall. - North Carolina Football

(DS#4 RB) Sr/2021

RB Michael Carter, North Carolina
News Source: North Carolina Football
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08/23/20 - Ben Kiernan, rSr/2024, North Carolina, 5-11, 215 (DS#999 P) + More +

2020 PRESEASON RAY GUY AWARD WATCH LIST: Ben Kiernan, North Carolina,...Kiernan was starting punter for all 13 games in 2019...Averaged 41.3 yards on 60 punts...Landed 13 punts inside the 20 and eight went for 50+ yards...Averaged 41.6 yards on five punts with a long of 48 yards in his collegiate debut against South Carolina. - North Carolina Football

(DS#999 P) rSr/2024

P Ben Kiernan, North Carolina
News Source: North Carolina Football
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07/31/20 - Sam Howell, Jr/2022, North Carolina, 6-1, 224 (DS#5 QB) + More +

2020 MANNING AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Sam Howell, So., North Carolina,...A native of Indian Trail, North Carolina, Howell put together a streak of 13 consecutive games with multiple TD passes and had eight games with three or more TD passes. Howell's 3,641 passing yards was second in the ACC and ranked 14th nationally. Howell will begin his second season in Chapel Hill included on the watch lists for the Manning Award, Maxwell Award and Davey O'Brien Award. - North Carolina Football

(DS#5 QB) Jr/2022

QB Sam Howell, North Carolina
News Source: North Carolina Football
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07/27/20 - Michael Carter, Sr/2021, North Carolina, 5-08, 201 (DS#4 RB) + More +

2020 PRESEASON PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST: Michael Carter, UNC,...Carter, from Navarre, Florida, led Carolina and sat fourth in the ACC in 2019 with 1,623 all-purpose yards (124.8 ypg). He rushed for a career-high 1,003 yards, had 466 return yards and 154 receiving yards during his junior campaign. His efforts on the field placed him among the conference's best players as a third-team running back, while also receiving honorable mention honors for all-purpose. - North Carolina Football

(DS#4 RB) Sr/2021

RB Michael Carter, North Carolina
News Source: North Carolina Football
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