16 UNC football players make All-ACC Academic Team
There’s no question the 2023 campaign was disappointing for UNC football.
North Carolina looked like a true ACC contender early on, bolting out to a 6-0 start and a Top-10 ranking. Drake Maye was the country’s clear-cut top quarterback, Devontez Walker and Nate McCollum gave UNC a deadly receiver tandem and – most surprisingly – the defense was actually making stops.
A loss to UVA sent the Tar Heels into a tailspin, as they only won two of their final seven games. Defensive woes started to resurface and – oddly enough – offense went cold at times.
What UNC didn’t do well on the field, they made up for in the classroom.
16 different Tar Heels made the All-ACC Academic Team – Maye, wide receiver J.J. Jones and Chris Culliver, kickers Noah Burnette and Liam Boyd, linebackers Jalen Brooks, Sebastian Cheeks, Cade Law and Gibson Macrae, punter Tom Maginess, tight end John Copenhaver, defensive lineman Beau Atkinson, defensive backs Will Hardy and Christopher Holiday, offensive lineman Treyvon Green and long snapper Spencer Tripplett.
This is a rare win for UNC since its late-season collapse.
While everyone has the goal of making an NFL roster, the reality is only a few will do so. It’s encouraging to know several Tar Heels are excelling in the classroom, because it’ll set them up well for the future.
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