# 2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2010 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 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Butch Davis, the Tar Heels played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina finished the season 8–5 overall and 4–4 in ACC play to tie for third in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Music City Bowl, where they defeated Tennessee, 30–27, in two overtimes.

## NCAA investigations

On July 15, 2010, ESPN reported that players at the University of North Carolina were being investigated and interviewed by the NCAA for possible rules violations concerning sports agents and improper gifts. The next day, it was confirmed that certain members of the football team were thought to have received improper gifts from agents, which is not allowed by NCAA rules. Marvin Austin, one of the players suspected in the probe, had made numerous Twitter posts with questionable content, which the NCAA investigated, and he was the first UNC player to be indefinitely suspended, though for violation of team rules, and not the NCAA probe. Butch Davis, the head coach, did not say much about the probe, as he, and many others, expected a quick resolution to the investigation, and he was known for running a clean program. Soon after though, the NCAA began to look at defensive line coach John Blake, his relationship with certain agents, and whether or not he had received money from them. He later resigned. Also, former UNC lineman Kentwan Balmer admitted that he had paid for a trip to California for two current players. It soon became apparent that things would be much worse, and 13 players were suspended for the opening game. Furthermore, the university launched its own probe, and found academic misconduct within the football team.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 21 LSU* | No. 18 | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, College GameDay) | ABC Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Erin Andrews | L 24–30 | 68,919 |
| September 18 | 12:00 p.m. | Georgia Tech | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCN Steve Martin, Dave Archer, Mike Hogewood | L 24–30 | 58,500 |
| September 25 | 3:30 p.m. | at Rutgers* | | Rutgers StadiumPiscataway, NJ | ESPNU Pam Ward, Danny Kannell | W 17–13 | 52,038 |
| October 2 | 3:30 p.m. | East Carolina* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPN3 Matt Sweirad, Jay Taylor, Angela Mallen | W 42–17 | 60,000 |
| October 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Clemson | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ABC/ESPN Carter Blackburn, Brock Huard, Mike Bellotti | W 21–16 | 60,000 |
| October 16 | 6:00 p.m. | at Virginia | | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA (South's Oldest Rivalry) | ESPN3 Jim Barbar, Drew Henson | W 44–10 | 50,830 |
| October 23 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 25 Miami (FL) | | Sun Life StadiumMiami Gardens, FL | ESPN2 Mark Jones, Bob Davie | L 10–33 | 43,584 |
| October 30 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 3 (FCS) William & Mary* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPN3 Dave Weekley, Drew Henson, Angela Mallen | W 21–17 | 51,000 |
| November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 24 Florida State | | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ABC Mike Patrick, Craig James | W 37–35 | 70,157 |
| November 13 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 16 Virginia Tech | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ABC/ESPN Mark Neely, JC Pearson | L 10–26 | 60,000 |
| November 20 | 12:00 p.m. | NC State | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (rivalry) | ACCN Tim Brant, Dave Archer, Mike Hogewood | L 25–29 | 60,000 |
| November 27 | 3:30 p.m. | at Duke | | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC (Victory Bell) | ESPNU Pam Ward, Danny Kanell | W 24–19 | 30,904 |
| December 30 | 6:30 p.m. | vs. Tennessee* | | LP FieldNashville, TN (Music City Bowl) | ESPN/ESPN Radio Beth Mowins, Ray Bentley, Jon Berger/Dave LaMont, JC Pearson, Elizabeth Moreau | W 30–27 $^{2OT}$ | 69,143 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## NFL Draft

Twelve Tar Heels were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, more than any other team in the nation. Nineteen players participated in the annual university pro day, which attracted nearly 100 scouts and coaches from the National Football League (NFL). Many of the players participating, however, missed either part or all of the games played this season due to the above-mentioned investigation. With nine players selected in the 2011 NFL draft, the Tar Heels were tied with USC for the most players selected.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Team |
| 1 | 14 | Robert Quinn* | DE | St. Louis Rams |
| 2 | 40 | Bruce Carter | OLB | Dallas Cowboys |
| 2 | 52 | Marvin Austin* | DT | New York Giants |
| 2 | 59 | Greg Little* | WR | Cleveland Browns |
| 4 | 100 | Da'Norris Searcy† | SS | Buffalo Bills |
| 5 | 133 | Johnny White | RB | Buffalo Bills |
| 5 | 152 | T. J. Yates | QB | Houston Texans |
| 5 | 171 | Quan Sturdivant | ILB | Arizona Cardinals |
| 7 | 218 | Ryan Taylor | TE | Green Bay Packers |
* did not play in the 2010 season due to investigation
† missed part of the 2010 season due to investigation