Minnesota prep begins for North Carolina as it sits nine days away from the season opener, and a central part of that planning is finding the centerpiece of the passing game.
UNC lost Tez Walker to the NFL after his eight-game 2023 season with the Tar Heels. Walker posted 41 catches for 699 yards and seven touchdowns, and he led North Carolina in receiving yards in four of the games he played, which was the most on the team. Still, the team returns its receptions leader from last season — JJ Jones — and its second-leading catcher in Nate McCollum.
Veteran wideouts Kobe Paysour and Gavin Blackwell are also back for North Carolina. The challenge now for wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway and the UNC offense is establishing who will be that No. 1 option in the aerial attack.
“You just coach them up, and who’s ever ready to take that role,” Galloway said on Tuesday. “JJ led us in receptions last year. Kobe’s played a lot of ball here, Gavin’s played a lot of ball here and Nate’s played a whole lot of ball here. So you go with those four pieces right there.”
“And then, okay, who’s coming from the spring to the first couple of weeks of camp to fit into that? And if it’s a freshman, it’s a freshman. Coach (Mack) Brown’s going to make us put the best guys on the field. So that’s the one thing that none of them can say, (that) they hadn’t had a chance because we’ve given all the chances we can. And now, we’re getting into the game prep and those type of things.”
Brown said that McCollum has been the healthiest and most consistent wide receiver on the team in training camp. McCollum, who transferred from Georgia Tech before joining the team last year, went for 44 catches, 469 yards and one touchdown grab in 2023. His best game last season came against Minnesota in his second appearance, as he exploded for 15 catches, 165 yards and one touchdown in a 31-13 home win.
Late in the season, McCollum dealt with injuries, struggled with drops and didn’t provide the same consistency he had earlier in the year. But Galloway said on Tuesday that “Minnesota Nate is here.”
“This being his second year here, I think he’s very comfortable being around the guys,” Galloway said. “He’s taking that senior leadership role, and he’s worked every day in practice. He hasn’t missed a practice. Just being consistent every day that we come out here.”
The WR unit dealt with its share of injuries in the offseason. Jones and Blackwell missed spring practice due to injuries, and Paysour has worked to recover from foot injuries. Opportunities opened up for the freshman receivers on the team, including Jordan Shipp, Alex Taylor and Javarius Green. Second-year players like Paul Billups, Christian Hamilton and Chris Culliver also took advantage of the extra reps in the spring.
“(It’s) harder to evaluate quarterbacks when your receivers aren’t all well, so we’re playing a group of different receivers at all times,” Brown said last week. “So we need to get somebody healthy so we can get out there.”
It’s also possible that UNC’s No. 1 target in the passing game isn’t a wide receiver.
Bryson Nesbit, an All-ACC First Team performer last year, was named by Brown alongside McCollum as “the two best” pass catchers on the team in camp. Nesbit has been used in the slot within North Carolina’s offense before, and he was tied with Walker with 41 catches last year. Nesbit had the most receiving yards out of ACC tight ends and the second most catches. Lindsey credited Nesbit for his versatility as well.
“Bryson certainly has a skill set that transcends to the next level and transcends the position, so to speak,” tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens said.
For Galloway, “everybody’s still in play” to see significant snaps at wide receiver nine days away from the opener. Galloway said he’d like to consistently play six or seven wideouts in 2024.
Jones, McCollum, Paysour and Blackwell accounted for 41.4% of UNC’s catches and 41.9% of UNC’s receiving yards last season. In addition to those four, the offense is looking for the next receivers in the rotation who can make plays on the outside and be reliable contributors.
“You just try to figure out which of those guys you can plug and place and get them to do the things that we want them to do offensively,” Galloway said.
