2015 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

2015 North Carolina Tar Heels football
2015 North Carolina Tar Heels football
ACC Coastal Division champion
ACC Championship Game, L 37–45 vs. Clemson
Russell Athletic Bowl, L 38–49 vs. Baylor
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
	Coastal
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 15
Record	11–3 (8–0 ACC)
Head coach	Larry Fedora (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Seth Littrell (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Gene Chizik (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	Marquise Williams, Landon Turner, Shakeel Rashad, Jeff Schoettmer, Mack Hollins
Home stadium	Kenan Memorial Stadium
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 2 Clemson x$^	8	–	0	14	–	1
No. 14 Florida State	6	–	2	10	–	3
Louisville	5	–	3	8	–	5
NC State	3	–	5	7	–	6
Syracuse	2	–	6	4	–	8
Wake Forest	1	–	7	3	–	9
Boston College	0	–	8	3	–	9
Coastal Division
No. 15 North Carolina x	8	–	0	11	–	3
Pittsburgh	6	–	2	8	–	5
Miami (FL)	5	–	3	8	–	5
Duke	4	–	4	8	–	5
Virginia Tech	4	–	4	7	–	6
Virginia	3	–	5	4	–	8
Georgia Tech	1	–	7	3	–	9
Championship: Clemson 45, North Carolina 37
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

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.^[1]

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
Jake Bargas TE	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
Corey Bell DB	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
J. K. Britt ATH	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
Aaron Crawford DT	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
Jalen Dalton DE	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
Nathan Elliott QB	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
Tommy Hatton OC	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
Charlie Heck OT	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
Mike Hughes CB	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
Juval Mollette WR	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
Nick Polino OG	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
Anthony Ratliff-Williams QB	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
Andre Smith LB	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
Jason Strowbridge DE	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
Johnathon Sutton LB	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
William Sweet OT	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
Carl Tucker TE	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
Mason Veal OG	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
Ty'Son Williams RB	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.^[2] 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.^[3]

Coaches for the 2015 season^[3]
Name	Position	Seasons at North Carolina
Larry Fedora	Head coach	4th
Gene Chizik	Defensive coordinator	1st
Gunter Brewer	Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers	4th (9th overall)
Chris Kapilovic	Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line	2nd (4th overall)
Seth Littrell	Assistant head coach for offense/tight ends	2nd
Keith Heckendorf	Quarterbacks	2nd
John Papuchis	Linebackers coach	1st
Tray Scott	Defensive line coach	1st
Charlton Warren	Defensive backs coach	1st
Lou Hernandez	Strength and conditioning coordinator	4th

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 p.m.	vs. South Carolina*		Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (Belk Kickoff Game, rivalry)	ESPN	L 13–17	51,664^[4]
September 12	6:00 p.m.	North Carolina A&T*		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN3	W 53–14	44,000^[4]
September 19	12:00 p.m.	Illinois*		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN2	W 48–14	41,000^[4]
September 26	12:30 p.m.	Delaware*		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ACCRSN	W 41–14	39,000^[4]
October 3	3:30 p.m.	at Georgia Tech		Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA	ESPNU	W 38–31	50,585^[4]
October 17	7:00 p.m.	Wake Forest		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)	ACCRSN	W 50–14	50,500^[4]
October 24	3:30 p.m.	Virginia		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry)	ACCRSN	W 26–13	52,000^[4]
October 29	7:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Pittsburgh		Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	W 26–19	43,049^[4]
November 7	12:00 p.m.	Duke		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell)	ESPN2	W 66–31	60,000^[4]
November 14	3:30 p.m.	Miami (FL)	No. 23	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPNU	W 59–21	61,000^[4]
November 21	12:00 p.m.	at Virginia Tech	No. 17	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	ESPN	W 30–27 ^OT	65,632^[4]
November 28	3:30 p.m.	at NC State	No. 14	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	ABC/ESPN2	W 45–34	57,600^[4]
December 5	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Clemson	No. 10	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (ACC Championship Game)	ABC	L 37–45	74,514^[4]
December 29	5:30 p.m.	vs. No. 17 Baylor*	No. 10	Orlando Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Russell Athletic Bowl)	ESPN	L 38–49	40,418^[4]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 3 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[5]

North Carolina is the only FBS team that played all of its 2015 regular-season games, both home and away, on grass fields.^[6]

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

#1 Clemson Tigers vs #8 North Carolina Tar Heels – Game summary

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

#17 Baylor Bears vs #10 North Carolina Tar Heels – Game summary

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
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									—	23	17	14	10	10	Not released

Postseason

All-Conference Selections

^[7]

First Team

• Elijah Hood – Running back

• Landon Turner - Guard

Second Team

• Marquise Williams - Quarterback

• Mack Hollins – Wide receiver

• Jon Heck – Offensive tackle

• Caleb Peterson - Guard

• M. J. Stewart - Cornerback

• Ryan Switzer - Specialist

Third Team

• Ryan Switzer – Wide receiver

• Quinshad Davis – Wide receiver

• Lucas Crowley - Center

• Nazair Jones - Defensive tackle

• Shakeel Rashad - Linebacker

• Des Lawrence - Cornerback

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.^[8]

The following players signed as undrafted free agents:^[9]

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

References

^ Barbour, Brian (January 7, 2015). "UNC Announces Ten Early Enrollees in Football". SB Nation. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
^ Fornelli, Tom (January 19, 2015). "North Carolina Officially Hires Gene Chizik as Defensive Coordinator". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
^ ^a ^b "UNC Football Coaching Staff". University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Department of Athletics. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "2016 UNC Football Media Guide" (PDF).
^ "2015 North Carolina Tar Heels Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
^ Forde, Pat (July 6, 2015). "40 Schedule Observations for This College Football Season". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
^ "ACSMA Announces 2015 All-ACC Teams". theacc.com. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
^ Jaouhari, Khaled. "North Carolina Football: NFL draft shutout and free-agent signings". ISportsWeb. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
^ "Six Tar Heels Earn NFL Opportunity". GoHeels.com. Retrieved May 6, 2016.

[1] Barbour, Brian (January 7, 2015). "UNC Announces Ten Early Enrollees in Football". SB Nation. Retrieved August 19, 2015.

[2] Fornelli, Tom (January 19, 2015). "North Carolina Officially Hires Gene Chizik as Defensive Coordinator". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 24, 2015.

[coaches-3] "UNC Football Coaching Staff". University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Department of Athletics. Retrieved July 24, 2015.

[attendance-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "2016 UNC Football Media Guide" (PDF).

[5] "2015 North Carolina Tar Heels Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved April 11, 2015.

[6] Forde, Pat (July 6, 2015). "40 Schedule Observations for This College Football Season". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 8, 2015.

[7] "ACSMA Announces 2015 All-ACC Teams". theacc.com. 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.

[8] Jaouhari, Khaled. "North Carolina Football: NFL draft shutout and free-agent signings". ISportsWeb. Retrieved May 6, 2016.

[9] "Six Tar Heels Earn NFL Opportunity". GoHeels.com. Retrieved May 6, 2016.

[1]

v t e North Carolina Tar Heels football
Venues	Emerson Field (1916–1926) Kenan Memorial Stadium (1927–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Duke: Victory Bell NC State South Carolina Virginia: South's Oldest Rivalry Wake Forest
Culture & lore	First forward pass Rameses The Marching Tar Heels 2010 football scandal 2011 academic-athletic scandal
People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024