Phil Steele projects UNC football to finish amongst middle of ACC in 2024

With July officially starting on Monday, that means one thing: college football begins next month.

The greatest storyline entering this fall is the expanded College Football Playoff , which increases from four to 12 teams. This gives teams outside of the usual Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan a greater chance to reach glory – will we see a Group of 5 school, such as App State, in the Final 12?

In Chapel Hill, the biggest storyline to watch is who quarterbacks a new-look roster. 2022 ACC Rookie and Player of the Year Drake Maye was selected early in this year’s NFL Draft – third overall by the New England Patriots – and North Carolina’s choices at 2024 starter range between Conner Harrell, Max Johnson and Jacoby Criswell.

The Tar Heels also sport a brand-new defensive coordinator in former Temple and Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins.

With all the questions across UNC’s roster, college football sportswriter/analyst Phil Steele picks UNC to finish eighth in the larger, 17-team ACC.

“North Carolina’s success during Mack Brown’s return to the program has been predicated by elite play at the quarterback position, with Sam Howell and Drake Maye helping elevate the program in a major way before making the jump to the NFL level,” Steele said in an On3 Sports article by Kaiden Smith. “Former Texas A&M and LSU quarterback Max Johnson will likely be this year’s starter under center, and will get help from one of the nation’s top running backs Omarion Hampton. But with the Tar Heels having their third defensive coordinator since 2019, better play on that side of the ball could dictate their success.”

Will the Tar Heels exceed expectations and compete for an ACC crown, or stay in mediocrity?

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