The 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tar Heels were led by head coach Mack Brown, who was in the fifth season of his second stint at North Carolina and 15th overall season at the university. The team played their home games at Kenan Stadium. The North Carolina Tar Heels football team drew an average home attendance of 50,095 in 2023.

Off-season Coaching changes After the ACC Championship Game, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Phil Longo accepted the same position at Wisconsin. Offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. followed Longo to Madison after one year in Chapel Hill.

On December 14, 2022, the Tar Heels hired Randy Clements as the new offensive line coach, and would also hire Chip Lindsey to fill the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach vacancy. Along with the new hires, AHC/WR coach Lonnie Galloway added the title of pass game coordinator, and then-TE coach John Lilly added the title of run game coordinator.

Cornerbacks coach and Tar Heel football legend Dré Bly would leave the program in January, and would be replaced in the position by Indiana safeties coach Jason Jones.

In February, John Lilly left to take the TE coach position on Frank Reich's Carolina Panthers staff. He was replaced four days later by former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens. Kitchens was introduced officially on March 1, in the team's pre-spring practice press conference. Kitchens retains Lilly's former title of run game coordinator as well.

Former Tar Heel letterman and longtime NFL assistant Clyde Christensen joined the staff as a volunteer offensive analyst as well, after several seasons as the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The defensive staff was fortified also, as former NFL assistant coach Ted Monachino was hired as a defensive analyst.

Departures NFL draft

The following Tar Heels were selected in the 2023 NFL draft. 3 79 Josh Downs WR Indianapolis Colts 5 169 Asim Richards OL Dallas Cowboys 7 219 Antoine Green WR Detroit Lions 7 227 Raymond Vohasek DL Jacksonville Jaguars

Transfers Per NCAA guidance, players can enter the transfer portal in one of two windows. The first, a 45-day period following the conclusion of the sport's regular season, opened for football in December 2022 and closed in January 2023. A second, shorter transfer period opened on April 15, following the conclusion of spring practice.

Source: Name No. Pos. Height Weight Hometown Year New school Dontae Balfour 14 DB 6'1" 180 Starke, FL Freshman Charlotte Tymir Brown 28 DB 6'0" 180 Jacksonville, NC Freshman ECU Chris Collins 17 DL 6'4" 245 Richmond, VA Graduate Minnesota Ja'Qurious Conley‡ 0 DB 6'1" 215 Jacksonville, NC Junior «» Jacolby Criswell 6 QB 6'1" 225 Morrilton, AR Sophomore Arkansas Raneiria "RaRa" Dillworth 11 LB 6'1" 200 Winston-Salem, NC Sophomore ECU Storm Duck 3 DB 6'0" 200 Boiling Springs, SC Senior Louisville Tony Grimes 1 DB 6'0" 195 Virginia Beach, VA Junior Texas A&M Ladaeson Deandre Hollins‡ 15 DB 6'1" 200 Tampa, FL Graduate Charlotte Bryson Jennings‡ 19 DL 6'4" 245 Richmond, VA Freshman Liberty Kendall Karr 82 TE 6'3" 250 Belmont, NC Sophomore Coastal Carolina Cam'Ron Kelly 9 DB 6'1" 210 Chesapeake, VA Senior Louisville Jonathan Kim 95 PK 6'0" 210 Fredericksburg, VA Senior Michigan State Dontavius Nash 21 DB 6'2" 180 Gastonia, NC Freshman ECU Justin Olson 83 WR 6'2" 200 Huntersville, NC Junior MTSU Keeshawn Silver 55 DL 6'5" 315 Rocky Mount, NC Freshman Kentucky Gabe Stephens‡ 34 DL 6'3" 220 Mount Holly, NC Sophomore Eastern Kentucky Jahlil Taylor 52 DL 6'0" 295 Vienna, GA Senior ODU

‡ Entered transfer portal following the conclusion of spring practices.

«» Indicates player did not enroll at a new school.

Additions Incoming transfers Source:

Name No. Pos. Height Weight Hometown Year Previous school Derrik Allen 7 DB 6'2" 211 Marietta, GA Graduate Georgia Tech Armani Chatman 9 DB 6'0" 180 Virginia Beach, VA Graduate Virginia Tech Ryan Coe 40 K 6'3" 225 McDonald, PA Graduate Cincinnati Amari Gainer 3 Jack 6'3" 237 Tallahassee, FL Graduate Florida State Alijah Huzzie 28 DB 5'11" 190 Franklin, GA Junior ETSU Willie Lampkin 53 OL 6'0" 275 Lakeland, FL Senior Coastal Carolina Antavious "Stick" Lane 1 DB 5'9" 180 West Palm Beach, FL Graduate Georgia State Tom Maginness 96 P 6'0" 220 Melbourne, Australia Sophomore ProKick Australia Nate McCollum 6 WR 5'11" 185 Hampton, GA Senior Georgia Tech Devontez Walker 9 WR 6'3" 190 Charlotte, NC Junior Kent State

Recruiting class

Source:

North Carolina signed 20 players in the class of 2023. The Tar Heels' class finished 30th in the 247Sports composite rankings, 28th in the Rivals rankings, and 29th in the ESPN.com rankings. Four signees were ranked in the ESPN 300 prospect list.

Personnel Coaching staff North Carolina Tar Heels coaches Mack Brown Head coach 15th Chip Lindsey Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach 1st Freddie Kitchens Run game coordinator/Tight ends coach 1st Randy Clements Offensive line coach 1st Lonnie Galloway Assistant head coach/Pass Game coordinator/Wide receivers 5th Larry Porter Special Teams coordinator/Running backs3rd Gene Chizik AHC/Defensive coordinator 4th Charlton Warren Co-defensive coordinator/Defensive backs coach2nd Tommy Thigpen Co-defensive coordinator/Inside Linebackers coach 6th Tim Cross Defensive line coach 5th Jason Jones Cornerbacks coach 1st Brian Hess Head strength and conditioning coach 5th Sparky Woods Senior advisor to head coach 5th Darrell Moody Senior advisor to head coach 5th Clyde Christensen Volunteer Offensive Analyst 1st Natrone Means Offensive Analyst 3rd Ted Monachino Senior Defensive Analyst 1stReference:

Roster {| class="toccolours" style="text-align: left;" |- ! colspan=11 style="text-align:center; ;"| 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels Football Roster |- |valign="top"|

Quarterback 10 Drake Maye – sophomore (6'4, 225) 12 Tad Hudson – freshman (6'2, 220) 14 Jefferson Boaz – junior (6'7, 235) 15 Conner Harrell – freshman (6'0, 200) 16 Russell Tabor – sophomore (6'2, 215)

Running back 4 Caleb Hood – junior (5'11, 225) 21 Elijah Green – junior (5'11, 210) 23 George Pettaway – sophomore (5'0, 195) 24 British Brooks – graduate (5'11, 225) 25 Kellan Hood – freshman (5'10, 190) 28 Omarion Hampton – sophomore (6'0, 220) 34 Jordan Louie – freshman (5'10, 215)

Wide receiver 0 Tychaun "Doc" Chapman – freshman (5'9, 175) 1 Andre Greene Jr. – freshman (6'2, 200) 2 Gavin Blackwell – sophomore (5'11, 180) 3 Chris Culliver – freshman (6'1, 185) 5 J.J. Jones – junior (6'2, 210) 6 Nate McCollum – junior (5'8, 185) 7 Christian Hamilton – freshman (5'11, 180) 8 Kobe Paysour – sophomore (6'0, 185) 9 Devontez "Tez" Walker – junior (6'2, 195) 11 Paul Billups II – freshman (6'1, 195) 13 Tylee Craft – senior (6'5, 200) 19 Grady Sherrill – freshman (5'8, 180) 20 Brooks Miller – sophomore (5'11, 180) 27 Michael Hall – freshman (6'0, 180) 38 Aiden Cloninger – freshman (5'11, 190) 83 Josh Espindola – freshman (5'10, 170) 84 Cyrus Rogers – sophomore (5'11, 185) 85 Landon Stevens – junior (6'2, 200) 86 Thomas Flynn – sophomore (6'3, 205)

Placekicker 37 Liam Boyd – freshman (6'0, 200) 40 Ryan Coe – graduate (6'2, 220) 90 Todd Pledger – sophomore (6'8, 210) 98 Noah Burnette – junior (5'10, 175)

Punter 91 Ben Kiernan – graduate (6'0, 210) 92 Cole Maynard — sophomore (6'2, 172) 96 Tom Maginness – sophomore (6'0, 205)

|width="25"|  |valign="top"| Tight end 18 Bryson Nesbit – junior (6'5, 235) 80 Julien Randolph – freshman (6'5, 220) 81 John Copenhaver – junior (6'3, 240) 82 Deems May – freshman (6'1, 230) 87 Cort Halsey – freshman (6'2, 215) 88 Kamari Morales – graduate (6'2, 245) 89 Cal Tierney – freshman (6'5, 235)

Offensive line 51 R.J. Grigsby – freshman (6'3, 315) 52 Jonathan Adorno – senior (6'4, 315) 53 Willie Lampkin – junior (5'11, 290) 54 Chance Carroll – junior (6'2, 295) 55 Zach Rice – freshman (6'4, 315) 60 Carter Kulka – sophomore (6'3, 270) 61 Diego Pounds – sophomore (6'5, 330) 63 Ed Montilus – graduate (6'3, 315) 64 Malik McGowan – junior (6'3, 320) 65 Corey Gaynor – graduate (6'3, 305) 68 D.J. Geth – freshman (6'3, 305) 69 Jarvis Hicks – freshman (6'6, 295)72 Nolan McConnell – freshman (6'6, 320) 73 Eli Sutton – sophomore (6'6, 310) 74 Justin Kanyuk – freshman (6'5, 315) 75 Spencer Rolland – graduate (6'6, 315) 76 William Barnes – senior (6'4, 320) 78 Trevyon Green – freshman (6'7, 340) 79 Bo Burkes – freshman (6'2, 300)Defensive line0 Tomari Fox – graduate (6'3, 300) 4 Travis Shaw – sophomore (6'5, 335) 5 Jahvaree Ritzie – junior (6'4, 295) 8 Myles Murphy – senior (6'4, 310) 10 Desmond Evans – senior (6'6, 275) 12 Beau Atkinson – freshman (6'5, 270) 41 Kedrick Bingley-Jones – junior (6'4, 305) 92 Rodney Lora – freshman (6'3, 275) 93 Jacolbe Cowan – junior (6'4, 280) 94 Joel Starlings – freshman (6'3, 280) 96 Damon Bremer – freshman (6'2, 255) 98 Kevin Hester Jr. – senior (6'3, 315)

|width="25"|  |valign="top"|Jack3 Amari Gainer – graduate (6'3, 235) 14 Jaybron Harvey – freshman (6'3, 240) 24 Malaki Hamrick – sophomore (6'2, 220) 25 Kaimon Rucker – senior (6'1, 265) 40 Tyler Thompson – freshman (6'5, 220) 87 Colby Doreen – junior (6'4, 225)Linebacker17 Amare Campbell – freshman (6'0, 230) 23 Power Echols – junior (6'0, 225) 30 Michael Short – freshman (6'3, 225) 32 Sebastian Cheeks – freshman (6'3, 220) 33 Cedric Gray – senior (6'2, 230) 34 Caleb LaVallee – freshman (6'0, 225) 36 Jalen Brooks – junior (5'10, 240) 44 Randy "Deuce" Caldwell – sophomore (6'0, 230) 45 Jake Harkleroad – graduate (5'10, 215) 47 CJ Murphy – freshman (6'1, 220) 48 Milad Aghaiepour – sophomore (5'10, 225) 52 Jonny Fritz – freshman (6'1, 190) 53 Gibson Macrae – sophomore (5'11, 220) 55 Cade Law – freshman (6'1, 225)Defensive back''' 1 Antavious "Stick" Lane – graduate (5'9, 190)2 Don Chapman – senior (6'1, 200)6 Lejond Cavazos – junior (6'0, 200)7 Derrik Allen – graduate (6'1, 210)9 Armani Chatman – graduate (6'0, 205)11 Ty Adams – freshman (5'11, 175)13 Ayden Duncanson – freshman (6'0, 185)15 Tre Miller – freshman (5'10, 175)16 DeAndre Boykins – junior (5'11, 205)18 Christopher Holliday – junior (6'4, 220)20 Tayon Holloway – freshman (6'0, 185)21 Kaleb Cost – freshman (5'10, 190)26 D.J. Jones – graduate (5'10, 200)27 Giovanni Biggers – graduate (6'1, 200)28 Alijah Huzzie – junior (5'10, 200)29 Marcus Allen – sophomore (6'1, 200)31 Will Hardy – sophomore (6'2, 215)35 Jaden Selby – freshman (6'0, 190)37 Jack Blythe – freshman (6'2, 190) 38 Naari Short – junior (5'8, 185) 39 Major Byrd – freshman (5'9, 200)Long snappers'43 Garrett Jordan – freshman (6'0, 225)61 Drew Little – graduate (5'11, 245)62 Spencer Triplett – junior (6'2, 235)|- |colspan="7"|* North Carolina Tar Heels Football Roster as of 9/5/2023

Schedule The 2023 ACC conference football schedule was released on January 30, 2023. The 2023 season will be the conference's first season under a new single-division format. The 3-5-5 model gives each team three set conference opponents to play every season, while playing the remaining ten teams twice (once at home and once on the road) in a four–year cycle. The Tar Heels' non-rotating opponents are all traditional rivalries: Duke, NC State, and Virginia.

Game summaries vs. South Carolina (Duke's Mayo Classic, rivalry)

Statistics UNCSC First downs 21 20 Total yards 71–437 70–351 Rushing yards 39–168 31– -2 Passing yards 269 353 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 24–32–2 30–39–0 Time of possession 32:37 27:23 Team Category Player StatisticsNorth Carolina Passing Drake Maye 24/32, 269 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing British Brooks 15 carries, 103 yards Receiving Kobe Paysour 7 receptions, 66 yards, TD South Carolina Passing Spencer Rattler 30/39, 353 yards Rushing Dakereon Joyner 12 carries, 23 yards, TD Receiving Xavier Legette 9 receptions, 178 yards

Appalachian State

Minnesota

at Pittsburgh

Syracuse

Miami (FL)