Is it just me or does UNC get picked for third place every season?
The preseason votes are in for the ACC preseason poll and UNC was picked to finish 3rd in the Coastal Division. Here is the full list via Inside Carolina:
Atlantic Division
1. Florida State (72) ..................543
2. Clemson (17) ....................... 470
3. NC State (5) .......................... 402
4. Wake Forest .......................... 241
5. Boston College ..................... 181
6. Maryland .............................. 148
Coastal Division
1. Virginia Tech (83) ............... 558
2. Georgia Tech (10)................ 421
3. North Carolina (2) .............. 341
4. Virginia ................................. 326
5. Miami................................. 245
6. Duke..................................... 104
Florida State was selected as the overall champion which means the Noles are back and probably won't get out of the division alive. In the ACC Player of the Year voting UNC QB Bryn Renner and RB Gio Bernard each received a vote with Clemson's Sammy Watkins getting the nod for the top spot. No complaints there though Bernard is poised to have a huge season and with as many touches he is going to get in the up-tempo offense his numbers could end up being POY-worthy. UNC got two first place votes in the Coastal.
Larry Fedora met with the media and drew one of the bigger crowds of the coaches there. WRAL has video of his general press conference.
Most of what Fedora addressed with the media centered in his expectations of the team in the intangible areas. While there is plenty of focus on the football aspects, in a coaching change there is much initial focus on player response to Fedora's style and vice-versa. Since there is the added layer of NCAA sanctions, addressing how the season will be approached knowing there is no postseason game is also of interest. Overall, I like what I've heard from Fedora. He is energetic and his approach to everything is positive not to mention aggressive.
Concerning actual football news, Fedora informed defense tack Sylvester Williams he needed to lose 30 lbs and in fact told the senior he was "fat and overweight" when Fedora arrived. Williams has lost the weight as have six offensive linemen who needed to get down a lower playing weight. The up-tempo offense has caused the offensive linemen to spend much of the spring and summer getting their conditioning house in order which has apparently happened. Fedora also said he believe in molding the offense to fit the personnel which might seem simple but not every coach does this effectively. Offensively speaking, Fedora does not think a defense can stop both the run and the pass at the same time which means UNC will do both with regularity. On the defensive side, the 4-2-5 scheme, Fedora says, is the best with his offense having been the defensive plan which got Southern Miss over the top.
In additional personnel news, WR Todd Harrelson is no longer on the team. This comes on the heels of D.J. Bunn and Keeon Virgile also leaving the program. Harrelson's issues seem to be academic related and it is probably not a trivial matter that he is also an AFAM major. Then again, Everett Withers once kicked Harrelson off the team so his troubles have seemingly been continual. The odd thing is the timing of the announcement which followed him being shown as a starter at WR on the depth chart released Sunday. Now Harrelson is off the team and Jheraine Boyd will move up to the starting position.
For more ACC Kickoff check out Larry Fedora's interview with Adam Gold and Joe Ovies.