It was an inauspicious ending to 2014, as Larry Fedora and North Carolina were beaten by Rutgers in the Quicken Loan Bowl to end the year at 6-7, followed by not having any players invited to the NFL combine or picked in the draft.
But the Tar Heels put together the highest-ranked recruiting class of the coach's four-year reign -- ranked 24th overall by Scout.com and third in the ACC -- and, Fedora added maybe his most important recruit in defensive coordinator Gene Chizik.
Will it get North Carolina the breakthrough season it's been pining for? These five players will help to determine it.
1. Nazair Jones, DT, Soph.
If this defense, which ranked 120th in the nation last season in giving up 240.5 rushing yards per game, is going to improve, it's going to be on this 6-foot-5, 300-pounder to set the tone as Chizik switches from a 4-2-5 defense to a 4-3 scheme. As a freshman, Jones had 33 tackles, 2 1/5 sacks and four pass break-ups. He was named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week after a 45-20 win over No. 25 Duke on Nov. 20 after racking up six 2 1/2 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, six total tackles and he batted down a pass. Chizik's time as a head coach didn't result in one defense ranked higher than 60th nationally in total defense, but as a coordinator, he three in the top 10. With a talented D-line anchored by Jones, a quick fix may not be in order, but there's the possibility that the narrative could change in Chapel Hill.
2. Marquise Williams, QB, Sr.
He averaged 296.6 yards of total offense last season, which ranked only behind Florida State's Jameis Winston in the ACC. But Williams also had five games in which he threw for less than 200 yards (all North Carolina losses) and in four of those games, he completed less than 56 percent of his passes. He was also injured for much of that season, suffering a partially torn hip labrum, requiring surgery that kept him out of spring practice. He is expected to be ready to play when the Tar Heels open the season on Sept. 3 vs. South Carolina in Charlotte. A season-team All-ACC pick last year, Williams could blossom into a star this season, but if he struggles keep in mind that backup Mitch Trubisky spent the spring with the first-team with Williams rehabbing.
3. Landon Turner, RG, Sr.
North Carolina's offensive line boasts a combined 101 starts -- first in the ACC by a long shot with Syracuse's 65 ranking second -- and it's Turner, the All-American candidate, that leads the way. At 6-4, 325, Turner graded out at 87 percent on the season and had 10 or more knockdown blocks in five games. But there is room for improvement, as he and that experienced line still gave up an average of 2.15 sacks per game, which was 72nd in FBS and 10th in the ACC. The Tar heels haven't had a consensus All-American since Jonathan Cooper in 2012 -- who was also a guard -- and Turner is one the best bets to change that, along with ...
4. Ryan Switzer, WR/PR, Jr.
The All-American return man became a key part of the Tar Heels' passing game as a sophomore with team highs in catches (61) and yards (757), and he's added backflip catches to his arsenal -- not that it's going to help him too much on the field. With that return-man speed, he's at his best as a pass-catcher when Williams and Fedora work to get him the ball in the open field out of the slot position, something that is likely to become even more of a focus with Williams getting rid of the ball faster.
5. The entire RB corps
This is no cop-out, but the Tar Heels return five running backs that carried the ball at least 27 times last season, making it a guessing game as to who is going to emerge from this group. While Williams led the team with 788 rushing yards, it was T.J. Logan that topped the RBs with 119 carries (54 more than anyone else) and 582 yards (No. 1 by 304 yards) and he has his sights on a 1,000-yard season, but keep in mind former top-10 recruit Elijah Hood missed four games with injury and still ran for 259 yards on 67 carries. He should push for even more carries as a sophomore. Then there's Romar Morris, who had 278 yards on 65 tries. Plenty of options, and with an emphasis on Williams carrying the ball less, the Tar Heels may need them all.
Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney
