We continue our look at the 2024 Tar Heels with a look at the position that has proved an NFL Draft pick in each of the five seasons since Mack Brown’s return to Chapel Hill, the wide receivers.
The return of Kobe Paysour will be huge if he is fully healthy. The junior wide receiver is coming off breaking both feet, which caused him to miss the last eight games of last season and parts of spring practice as he rehabbed. The team record prior to his injury was a perfect 5-0, while they went just 3-5 without him and struggled to move the ball at points late in the season. At the time of his injury, he was leading the team in receiving with 22 catches for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Getting him back to feature either in the slot or on the outside is a huge plus for this passing game.
Another big piece that returns is senior J.J. Jones, who broke out last season on his way to leading the team in receiving. He finished with team highs in both receptions (46) and receiving yards (711) and found the endzone three times, all of which took place in the season’s final five games. Having him as a reliable threat on the outside for whichever quarterback emerges is huge.
Senior Nate McCollum is also back as another experienced option in the slot. After a tremendous first four games of his season where he had 27 catches for 347 yards and a touchdown, he would disappear, catching just 16 passes for 114 yards the rest of the season despite more snaps with Paysour sidelined. The staff will be looking for more consistency from him this season, especially if they are going to play Paysour on the outside.
Junior Gavin Blackwell is positioned to start on the outside if the staff opts to utilize Paysour more in the slot. He won the starting job here last year but wasn’t able to regain it after he went down with an injury in the Minnesota game. He had some drop issues early in the season, but his performance in the bowl game showed the promise the staff sees in him and why he is the favorite to start here.
His biggest challenger will be sophomore Chris Culliver, who should be a full go after suffering an injury late in spring practice. He showed his big play ability downfield in the Campbell game and that is something that this team is currently lacking. If Culliver can prove his worth as that deep ball threat in camp, he could push to be the starter opposite of Jones. Even if he is unable to be a starter, he should have a substantial rotational role this season.
True freshman Jordan Shipp is another guy who could be setting himself up for a big role following a great spring camp. He gave fans a preview of what he was capable of in the spring game, climbing the ladder a couple of times to haul in some tough catches. He has too much talent to keep him off the field completely this season, but the veterans in front of him make it tough to see him becoming a starter.
Fellow redshirt freshman Paul Billups II is another name to keep an eye on right now in the quest for rotational reps. He was another guy who shined this spring with the extra reps provided by the absence of the veterans and closed it with a big spring game. He is another guy who could provide that big play threat over the top if he can prove to the staff that what they saw in the spring is something he can build upon.
Redshirt freshman Christian Hamilton is also battling for a more significant role this season. His versatility will give him a shot to do that as will the fact that he had a solid spring camp. He’ll have to take another step after what he did a few months ago, but if he can, he could be looking at a rotational role this year.
Alex Taylor and Javarius Green are two true freshman receivers who will help to provide depth at the position. Both had their flashes in the spring, but there is a lot of talent ahead of them that will probably prevent them from contributing heavily outside of special teams.
Senior Tylee Craft is the other scholarship player on the roster but is still undergoing cancer treatments and will not see any action on the field this season as he prepares to become an NFL scout.
Brooks Miller, Michael Hall, Luke Osteen, Aiden Cloninger, Josh Espindola, Cyrus Rogers, Grady Sherrill and Thomas Flynn will be the walk-ons in the room.
Projected Depth Chart
WR
# 5 J.J. Jones, Sr.
# 1 Jordan Shipp, Fr.
#11 Paul Billups II, RFr.
#84 Cyrus Rogers, Jr.
#86 Thomas Flynn, Jr.
#30 Luke Osteen, Sr.
WR
# 2 Gavin Blackwell, Jr.
# 3 Chris Culliver, So.
# 7 Christian Hamilton, RFr.
# 0 Alex Taylor, Fr.
#83 Josh Espindola, RFr.
#38 Aiden Cloninger, So.
WR
# 8 Kobe Paysour, Jr.
# 6 Nate McCollum, Sr.
# 9 Javarius Green, Fr.
#20 Brooks Miller, Jr.
#85 Grady Sherrill, So.
#27 Michael Hall, So.
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