# 2015 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2015 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 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Larry Fedora and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. North Carolina finished the season 11–3 overall and 8–0 in ACC play to win the ACC Coastal Division title. They represented the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game, where they lost to Atlantic Division champion Clemson. They were invited to the Russell Athletic Bowl, where they lost to Baylor.

## Recruiting

National Signing Day was on February 4, 2015, 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 19 high school seniors sign a National Letter of Intent to play football with them. Of the class, 10 athletes enrolled early to UNC.
US college sports recruiting information for 2015 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Jake Bargas TE | Boca Raton, FL | St. Andrew's School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.7 | Jan 19, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Corey Bell DB | Charlotte, NC | Hough HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 158 lb (72 kg) | - | Mar 18, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| J. K. Britt ATH | Newnan, GA | Newnan HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | - | Jun 30, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Aaron Crawford DT | Ashburn, VA | Stone Bridge HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 303 lb (137 kg) | - | May 20, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Jalen Dalton DE | Clemmons, NC | West Forsyth HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | - | Nov 13, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 |||||||
| Nathan Elliott QB | Celina, TX | Celina HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | - | Apr 18, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Tommy Hatton OC | Montvale, NJ | St. Joseph's HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | - | Jun 13, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Charlie Heck OT | Kansas City, MO | Rockhurst HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | - | Dec 1, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Mike Hughes CB | New Bern, NC | New Bern HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | - | Dec 22, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Juval Mollette WR | Randleman, NC | Randleman HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 186 lb (84 kg) | - | Jun 21, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Nick Polino OG | Buford, GA | Buford HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | - | Jun 22, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Anthony Ratliff-Williams QB | Matthews, NC | Butler HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | - | Mar 10, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Andre Smith LB | Jacksonville, FL | Trinity Christian HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | - | Dec 12, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Jason Strowbridge DE | Deerfield Beach, FL | Deerfield Beach HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | 4.9 | Feb 2, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Johnathon Sutton LB | Swansea, SC | Swansea HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 214 lb (97 kg) | - | Jun 21, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| William Sweet OT | Jacksonville, FL | First Coast HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | - | Apr 12, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Carl Tucker TE | Huntersville, NC | Hough HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | - | Apr 12, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Mason Veal OG | Charlotte, NC | Ardrey Kell HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | - | Mar 28, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Ty'Son Williams RB | Sumter, SC | Crestwood HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 4.6 | Jul 29, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 24 Rivals: 28 247Sports: 28 ESPN: 24 |||||||
| ‡ 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 August 19, 2015. "North Carolina Tar Heels 2015 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 19, 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 19, 2015. "North Carolina 2015 Football Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 19, 2015. |||||||

## Coaching staff

North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora entered his fourth year as the North Carolina's head coach for the 2015 season. After ranking as one of the worst defenses in the country in 2014, Fedora completely revamped the Tar Heel defensive coaching staff. Fedora hired Gene Chizik as the new defensive coordinator. Chizik was most recently the head coach at Auburn, where he led the Tigers to a national championship in 2011. With the coaching change, UNC also switched from a 4-2-5 base defense to a 4–3 defense. Other defensive coaching hires include John Papuchis, former defensive coordinator at Nebraska, as linebackers coach, Tray Scott as defensive line coach, and Charlton Warren as defensive backs coach.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. South Carolina* | | Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC (Belk Kickoff Game, rivalry) | ESPN | L 13–17 | 51,664 |
| September 12 | 6:00 p.m. | North Carolina A&T* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPN3 | W 53–14 | 44,000 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPN2 | W 48–14 | 41,000 |
| September 26 | 12:30 p.m. | Delaware* | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ACCRSN | W 41–14 | 39,000 |
| October 3 | 3:30 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPNU | W 38–31 | 50,585 |
| October 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Wake Forest | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (rivalry) | ACCRSN | W 50–14 | 50,500 |
| October 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Virginia | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry) | ACCRSN | W 26–13 | 52,000 |
| October 29 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 23 Pittsburgh | | Heinz FieldPittsburgh, PA | ESPN | W 26–19 | 43,049 |
| November 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Duke | | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell) | ESPN2 | W 66–31 | 60,000 |
| November 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Miami (FL) | No. 23 | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | ESPNU | W 59–21 | 61,000 |
| November 21 | 12:00 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | No. 17 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | ESPN | W 30–27 $^{OT}$ | 65,632 |
| November 28 | 3:30 p.m. | at NC State | No. 14 | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC (rivalry) | ABC/ESPN2 | W 45–34 | 57,600 |
| December 5 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Clemson | No. 10 | Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC (ACC Championship Game) | ABC | L 37–45 | 74,514 |
| December 29 | 5:30 p.m. | vs. No. 17 Baylor* | No. 10 | Orlando Citrus BowlOrlando, FL (Russell Athletic Bowl) | ESPN | L 38–49 | 40,418 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 3 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||
North Carolina is the only FBS team that played all of its 2015 regular-season games, both home and away, on grass fields.

## Game summaries
### Vs. South Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Gamecocks | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

### North Carolina A&T

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Tar Heels | 22 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 53 |

### Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Illini | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Tar Heels | 10 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 48 |

### Delaware

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fightin' Blue Hens | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 41 |

### At Georgia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 0 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
| Yellow Jackets | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |

### Wake Forest

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Demon Deacons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Tar Heels | 0 | 29 | 7 | 14 | 50 |

### Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cavaliers | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Tar Heels | 7 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 26 |

### At Pittsburgh

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tar Heels | 3 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
| #23 Panthers | 3 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 19 |

### Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blue Devils | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| #21 Tar Heels | 21 | 17 | 21 | 7 | 66 |

### Miami (FL)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hurricanes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| #17 Tar Heels | 7 | 24 | 21 | 7 | 59 |

### At Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| #12 Tar Heels | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 30 |
| Hokies | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 27 |

### At NC State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #11 Tar Heels | 35 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 45 |
| Wolfpack | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 34 |

### vs Clemson

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #1 Tigers | 7 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 45 |
| #8 Tar Heels | 9 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 37 |
at Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC
* Date: December 5, 2015
* Game time: 8:00 p.m.
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color), Heather Cox (sideline)
* Sources:

### vs Baylor

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #10 North Carolina | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
| #17 Baylor | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium • Orlando, FL
* Date: December 29, 2015
* Game time: 5:30 p.m.
* Game attendance: 40,418
* TV: ESPN
* Sources:

## 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 15 |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 21 | 17 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 15 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | 23 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 10 | Not released |

## Postseason
### All-American Selections

* Landon Turner, Offensive Line (AP, Athlon)
* Ryan Switzer, All-purpose / return specialist (AFCA)

### NFL draft

For the second year in a row, North Carolina did not have any players selected in the NFL draft.
The following players signed as undrafted free agents:
| Name | Position | Team |
| Quinshad Davis | Wide receiver | Detroit Lions |
| Romar Morris | Running back | New York Jets |
| Shakeel Rashad | Linebacker | Houston Texans |
| Jeff Schoettmer | Linebacker | New Orleans Saints |
| Landon Turner | Guard | New Orleans Saints |
| Marquise Williams | Quarterback | Minnesota Vikings |