# 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Larry Fedora and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The Tar Heels finished the season 8–5 overall and 5–3 in ACC play to place in a three-way tie for second in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Sun Bowl, where they lost to Stanford.

## Recruiting

National Signing Day was on February 3, 2016 and was the first chance for high school seniors to officially declare which university or college they will be attending for their college career. North Carolina had 26 high school seniors sign a National Letter of Intent to play football with them. Of the class, 7 athletes enrolled early to UNC.
College recruiting information (2016) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Jordon Brown RB | Durham, NC | Southern Durham HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 4.56 | Aug 17, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Logan Byrd QB | Kathleen, GA | Veterans HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 238 lb (108 kg) | 4.89 | Apr 9, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Kyree Campbell^ DT | Woodbridge, VA | Woodbridge HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | 5.44 | Aug 5, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Allen Cater DE | Kennesaw, GA | Mount Paran Christian School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 242 lb (110 kg) | 5.32 | Feb 3, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| J.B. Copeland LB | Southlake, TX | Navarro College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | N/A | Feb 4, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Nolan DeFranco DE | Winter Garden, FL | West Orange HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 226 lb (103 kg) | 4.89 | Jun 17, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Myles Dorn WR/DB/S | Charlotte, NC | Julius L. Chambers HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.58 | Dec 5, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Marlon Dunlap DT | Charlotte, NC | West Charlotte HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | 5.24 | Oct 26, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Luke Elder OG | LaGrange, GA | LaGrange HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 282 lb (128 kg) | 5.55 | Jun 21, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| D.J. Ford S | Lineville, AL | Clay Central HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | N/A | Jan 17, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Tomon Fox DE | Suwanee, GA | Collins Hill HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 232 lb (105 kg) | 4.88 | Jun 21, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Rontavius Groves WR/CB | Nashville, TN | Pearl-Cohn HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 4.5 | Dec 6, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Tyrone Hopper LB | Roswell, GA | Roswell HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 4.74 | Jun 16, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Roscoe Johnson WR | Union, SC | Union County HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 4.5 | Jul 15, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Jay Jay McCargo OT | Arlington, VA | Bishop O'Connell HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 283 lb (128 kg) | 5.4 | Apr 25, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| James Pierre^ S | Deerfield Beach, FL | Deerfield Beach HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 4.61 | May 19, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Tyler Pritchett OG | Auburn, AL | Auburn HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | 5.5 | Apr 14, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Patrice Rene CB | Alexandria, VA | Episcopal HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 4.57 | Jan 20, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Gregory Ross S | Oxon Hill, MD | Potomac HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 4.55 | May 23, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Dominique Ross LB | Jacksonville, FL | Trinity Christian Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | N/A | Jun 16, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| K.J. Sails S | Gibsonton, FL | East Bay HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 164 lb (74 kg) | 4.5 | Feb 3, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Jonathan Smith LB | Laurinburg, NC | Scotland HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 229 lb (104 kg) | 4.77 | Aug 17, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Chazz Surratt QB | Denver, NC | East Lincoln HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 4.5 | Jun 26, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Noah Turner TE | Mundelein, IL | Carmel Catholic HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 237 lb (108 kg) | 4.69 | Jul 3, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Garrett Walston TE | Wilmington, NC | New Hanover HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | N/A | Oct 8, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Myles Wolfolk CB | Upper Marlboro, MD | Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | 4.5 | Nov 29, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 25 Rivals: 25 247Sports: 36 ESPN: 34 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "North Carolina Football Commitment List (19)". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016. "2016 North Carolina Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016. "North Carolina Tar Heels 2016 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016. "North Carolina 2016 Football Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved June 10, 2016. |||||||
^These signees will not be enrolling at UNC in 2016 due to not being admitted into the school.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 5:30 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Georgia* | No. 22 | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game) | ESPN | L 24–33 | 75,405 |
| September 10 | 7:30 p.m. | at Illinois* | | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | W 48–23 | 60,670 |
| September 17 | 3:30 p.m. | 11 (FCS) James Madison* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCRSN | W 56–28 | 56,000 |
| September 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Pittsburgh | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPNU | W 37–36 | 54,500 |
| October 1 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 12 Florida State | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ESPN | W 37–35 | 77,584 |
| October 8 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 25 Virginia Tech | No. 17 | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ABC/ESPN2 | L 3–34 | 33,000 |
| October 15 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 16 Miami (FL) | | Hard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL | ABC/ESPN2 | W 20–13 | 58,731 |
| October 22 | 3:00 p.m. | at Virginia | No. 22 | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA (South's Oldest Rivalry) | ACCRSN | W 35–14 | 40,882 |
| November 5 | 12:30 p.m. | Georgia Tech | No. 21 | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCN | W 48–20 | 58,000 |
| November 10 | 7:30 p.m. | at Duke | No. 17 | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC (Victory Bell) | ESPN | L 27–28 | 39,212 |
| November 19 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 5 (FCS) The Citadel* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCN+ | W 41–7 | 41,000 |
| November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | NC State | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (rivalry) | ESPN | L 21–28 | 59,000 |
| December 30 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Stanford* | | Sun BowlEl Paso, TX (Sun Bowl) | CBS | L 23–25 | 42,166 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 1 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Personnel

North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora enters his fifth year as the North Carolina's head coach for the 2016 season. At the end of the 2015 season, assistant head coach, Seth Littrell, was hired as the head coach at North Texas. As a result, co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Chris Kapilovic, was promoted to offensive coordinator, and will retain his role as offensive line coach. Former Tar Heel player, Chad Scott, was hired to replace Littrell as the tight ends/hybrids coach.

### Roster
## Game summaries
### Vs. Georgia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #22 Tar Heels | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| #18 Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 33 |

### At Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 17 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 48 |
| Fighting Illini | 14 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 23 |

### James Madison

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #11 (FCS) Dukes | 21 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Tar Heels | 14 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 56 |

### Pittsburgh

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 5 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 36 |
| Tar Heels | 0 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 37 |

### At Florida State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 37 |
| #12 Seminoles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |

### Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #25 Hokies | 6 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 34 |
| #17 Tar Heels | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |

### At Miami (FL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| #16 Hurricanes | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |

### At Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #22 Tar Heels | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Cavaliers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |

### Georgia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Yellow Jackets | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| #18 Tar Heels | 17 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 48 |

### At Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #15 Tar Heels | 14 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 27 |
| Blue Devils | 0 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 28 |

### The Citadel

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #5 (FCS) Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Tar Heels | 14 | 17 | 10 | 0 | 41 |

### NC State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wolfpack | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Tar Heels | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |

### Stanford–Sun Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #16 Cardinal | 7 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 25 |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 23 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 22 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 17 | RV | 22 | 21 | 18 | 15 | RV | RV | — | — | RV |
| Coaches | 20 | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 16 | RV | 21 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 24 | 25 | RV | RV | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 21 | 17 | — | — | — | — | Not released |