Syracuse Football: Ahead of season opener, four top UNC players to watch

Syracuse football will have its hands full with several excellent players on the North Carolina roster that we’re reviewing in detail.

Syracuse football will take on North Carolina this Saturday in Chapel Hill beginning at noon and airing live on the ACC Network, and with no fans allowed in the stands.

The Tar Heels are guided by Hall of Fame head coach Mack Brown, ranked No. 18 in the pre-season AP top-25 poll and projected to finish third in the Atlantic Coast Conference, per the league’s pre-season media poll.

When the Orange hits the field versus UNC, the ‘Cuse will have to pay particular attention to several Tar Heels players who boast a tremendous amount of skill and talent. We have an in-depth look at these star North Carolina guys here.

Sam Howell, sophomore quarterback
Howell registered a record-setting freshman campaign in 2019, throwing for 3,641 yards and 38 touchdowns, against only seven interceptions.

He is considered one of the premier quarterbacks in the country heading into the 2020 stanza, and Howell could certainly find himself as a significant Heisman Trophy contender when all is said and done.

At this juncture, Howell, a four-star prospect in high school who hails from Indian Trail, N.C., is on the pre-season watch lists for national honors including the Manning Award, the Maxwell Award and the Davey O’Brien Award.

If not for Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Tigers running back Travis Etienne, Howell would likely amount to the front-runner for ACC Player of the Year.

Michael Carter, senior running back
Carter, whose hometown is in Navarre, Fla., has made the All-ACC pre-season team at the all-purpose position. He’s also featured on the pre-season watch lists for the Doak Walker Award and the Paul Hornung Award.

In 2019, as a junior, Carter accumulated 1,623 all-purpose yards, and he rushed for 1,003 yards, both career bests, per his bio on the UNC athletics department Web site.

His 1,003 rushing yards paced the Tar Heels, while his 1,623 all-purpose yards also led North Carolina and placed fourth in the ACC. For his achievements in 2019, Carter received inclusion on the All-ACC third squad as a running back, and he was an All-ACC honorable mention as an all-purpose player.

Dazz Newsome, senior wide receiver
Newsome, from Hampton, Va., is on the All-ACC pre-season team as well as the pre-season watch list for the Biletnikoff Award.

An All-ACC second-crew pick in 2019 as a junior, Newsome led UNC in receptions with 72. He rated second on the squad with 1,018 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, with both of those amounts ranking fifth in North Carolina program history, per his bio.

Additionally, Newsome checked in at sixth in the ACC in receptions, receiving TDs and receiving yards per contest, and he was seventh in the league in receiving yards.

Chazz Surratt, graduate student linebacker
Surratt, out of Denver, N.C., is also on the All-ACC pre-season unit as well as the pre-season watch lists for multiple major honors, such as the Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award and the Bednarik Award.

A member of the 2019 All-ACC first team as a junior, Surratt came in as the runner-up for the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, according to his bio.

A former quarterback, in the last term Surratt’s 31 total pressures rated seventh among linebackers within Power Five leagues, says his bio, citing Pro Football Focus. He paced the Tar Heels and finished second in the ACC with 115 tackles.

Furthermore, Surratt led UNC with 15 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. Both Surratt and Howell received one vote each for ACC Player of the Year in the league’s pre-season media poll.