The North Carolina Tar Heels suited up on Saturday for their Spring Game in the friendly confines of Kenan Stadium. While this game was not televised, nor were stats kept, we have the whole scoop right here at Grid Iron Heroics!
This season, North Carolina opted to not broadcast their Spring Game as they work through kinks in their defense and figure out who their main signal caller will be when they face off with the Minnesota Gophers August 29th.
Spring Game Offense
On Saturday, both Connor Harrell and Max Johnson made some impressive plays worthy of the starting quarterback job. Harrell finished the afternoon completing 4 out of 6 passes for 161 yards, including three touchdown passes. On Harrell’s first throw, true freshman Javarius Green was the recipient of a 68-yard touchdown missile, followed by a 65-yard touchdown pass to Nate McCollum, and finished up his afternoon with a 16-yard dart to true freshman Jordan Shipp in the end zone. Harrell handled four series for the Tar Heels’ offense.
Two-time SEC transfer (LSU, Texas A&M) was no slouch either, as he finished the spring game going 8 for 9 passing for 80 yards across his two series of work. His most memorable play of the day was a Paul Billups II 23-yard touchdown pass. After being flushed out of the pocket, Johnson, on the run, found Billups on the sideline. Billups then spun back off the sideline, past true freshman defensive back Jalon Thompson, and sprinted into the end zone.
Johnson’s arm talent is undeniable and he can extend plays with his legs, but his penchant for holding onto the ball for too long will result in sacks at best and defensive touchdowns at worst when fall rolls around. Harrell also has an arm on him, but he needs to work on his consistency and accuracy.
On the rushing side of the offense, last year’s First-Team All-ACC running back Omarion Hampton looks to pick up where he left off, as he participated in a light hitting session. With his depth of knowledge and game-time experience, Hampton is expected to be the workhorse behind the line with Drake Maye leaving for the NFL.
Running Back Darwin Barlow made a name for himself during Saturday’s spring game. Barlow, a transfer with stops at TCU and Southern Cal ran for an 11-yard touchdown. That capped a drive during which he carried for 16, 14, and seven yards before scoring, as the first-team offense mashed the second-team defense. Barlow ran for 56 yards on five attempts unofficially. True freshman Davion Gause, Carolina’s third-string running back this spring, carried six times for 28 yards on Saturday.
Spring Game Defense
Defensive end Des Evans collected a tackle for lost yardage and also sacked Merdinger. On the next play, a third-and-18 situation, Joel Starlings sacked Merdinger. That was followed by kicker Liam Boyd missing a 48-yard field goal attempt.
Edge rusher Malaki Hamrick, cornerback Ty White, and linebacker Caleb LaVallee supplied sacks for the UNC defense. Beau Atkinson had a tackle for lost yardage.
Will Hardy grabbed an interception and scampered in on a 21-yard return for a touchdown for the UNC defense. He jumped a quick throw to the sideline by third-string quarterback Michael Merdinger, who was in for three series on the day.
Hardy and Jakeen Harris, the pair of safeties, continued to wear yellow jerseys that signify “thud” contact, rather than full-on tackling, as they have throughout UNC’s spring session, a 15-practice allotment that began on March 19.
Offensive Line Questions
With the offseason departures of William Barnes, Corey Gaynor, Ed Montilus, Diego Pounds, and Spencer Rolland, Saturday’s offensive line was a ragtag group of transfers and unproven youngsters. Jonathan Adorno and Willie Lampkin – the only notable returners from 2023 – figure to compete for starting jobs in the fall. Transfers Austin Blaske from Georgia and Howard Sampson from North Texas lined up with the first team unit, along with Lampkin, sophomore Trevyon Green, and junior Malik McGowan. At 325 pounds and six-foot-eight, Sampson is a giant among men and has the “hog molly” attributes to start at tackle.
But both the first team and reserve units had ups and downs during the spring game. Max Johnson, the first-team quarterback, faced consistent pressure during his first few snaps and had to throw the ball away multiple times. While it’s only April, these linemen won’t be lining up together again until August, so they’ll need to focus on the playbook and weight room to ensure their success this fall.
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