Looking back at the careers of UNC football's four NFL-bound Orange Bowl opt-outs
UNC junior running back Javonte Williams (25) rushes in Kenan Stadium Oct. 24, 2020. The Tar Heels beat the Wolfpack 48-21.
Jan. 2, 1950.
That date, seven decades removed from UNC's upcoming Orange Bowl game and even more iterations of teams removed from head coach Mack Brown’s current group, was the last time the North Carolina football team qualified for a major bowl game.
Safe to say, it’s been a long time.
This group of Tar Heels — perhaps even more than Brown’s North Carolina teams of the late 1990s and the near New Year's Six qualifiers from 2015 — could pan out to be the most important in the program’s history.
With three key members of the Tar Heels’ potent offense and one defensive stalwart opting out of the Orange Bowl to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft, here’s a look back at the careers of UNC’s four League-bound opt-outs.
UNC's graduate linebacker Chazz Surratt (21) celebrates his sack of Wake Forest's quarterback during a game in Kenan Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020. UNC beat Wake Forest 59-53.
No player represents the cultural shift that occurred in Chapel Hill after Brown’s hiring more than Surratt.
Surratt came to UNC as a well-touted quarterback on the heels of a high school career that rewrote this state’s record book. After a few years struggling behind center in former head coach Larry Fedora’s offensive system, Surratt made the unprecedented switch from QB to linebacker.
His impact was immediate.
In his first game as linebacker, Surratt notched 12 total tackles and one sack, with several key plays coming in the final moments of UNC’s 2019 season-opening win against South Carolina. He finished the year with 115 tackles, 6.5 sacks and a game-sealing interception against Duke.
After being named first-team All-ACC and earning a second-place finish in the Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year voting, Surratt opted to return for his redshirt senior season.
In his final season in Chapel Hill, the linebacker finished first-team All-ACC once again, notching a team-high 91 total tackles and six sacks in 11 games. After opting to enter the 2021 NFL Draft, Surratt seems like a shoo-in to be selected in the first two days come April.
Junior Running Back junior Michael Carter (8) runs down the field in Kenan Memorial on Saturday Nov. 23, 2019. UNC beat Mercer 56-7.
Coming to Chapel Hill from Navarre, Florida, Carter was a 247Sports Composite three-star recruit. After putting together two solid campaigns with 500-plus rushing yards under Fedora, Carter took another leap forward in offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s system as a junior.
Serving as the Tar Heels' primary back last season, Carter finished with over 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career. Carter returned to UNC for his senior season and established himself as one of the nation’s top running backs. Averaging 113 yards per game in 2020, Carter split carries in tandem with Javonte Williams on his way to being named first-team All-ACC and first-team All-America by Pro Football Focus.
In his final game with the Tar Heels against Miami, the senior put together the most impressive performance of his career. He ran for 308 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries to help lead the Tar Heels to a 62-26 blowout of the Hurricanes and opened the door for UNC to qualify for the Orange Bowl. Carter finished his collegiate career with 3,404 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns.
Javonte Williams
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
UNC's sophomore running back Javonte Williams hypes up the crowd after his touchdown during a game at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday, November 30, 2019.
Coming to Chapel Hill as a lightly-recruited three-star back, Williams, the younger member of North Carolina’s backfield tandem, solidified himself as one of the nation’s premier offensive weapons in 2020.
After receiving less than 50 carries as a first-year, Williams improved as a sophomore, rushing for 933 yards and five touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry. In 2020, his production took another drastic step forward, as he finished with a UNC single-season record 22 total touchdowns. Williams was named second-team All-ACC by the Conference and ACC Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus after recording the highest single-season grade by a collegiate rusher in PFF’s history.
Along with Carter, Williams added to the history in North Carolina’s record-breaking performance against the Hurricanes, rushing for 236 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Building on his list of honors for the 2020 season, Williams was named an AP second-team All-American.
Williams is another player who should see his name called early in the NFL Draft, with ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. listing him as the No. 3 running back in this year’s class.
UNC junior wide receiver Dyami Brown (2) catches a pass in Kenan Stadium Oct. 24, 2020. The Tar Heels beat the Wolfpack 48-21.
As one of the targets-of-choice for sophomore quarterback Sam Howell, Brown’s three-year collegiate career was one of the most impressive for a UNC wide receiver in recent memory.
Brown finished his time in Chapel Hill with 2,306 yards and 21 touchdowns on 123 receptions. He was named third-team All-ACC after his sophomore season and continued to impress in 2020. In 11 games, Brown finished with a career-high 55 receptions and broke the 1,000-yard mark for a second consecutive season. He was named first-team All-ACC and finished as an AP third-team All-American.
Brown's abilities to take the top off of opposing defenses was key throughout his tenure in Chapel Hill and could translate to a solid career at the next level.
