UNC depth chart breakdown - offensive line: Will eight be great for the Heels?

Eight is enough for North Carolina’s offensive line rotation, but so far through camp, it’s been a hard number to reach. And that’s considering the Tar Heels started out being spotted four returning starters from last season. It’s the one position with the biggest depth question marks heading into Saturday’s season opener against Syracuse.

Offensive coordinator Phil Longo said in that respect it’s no different than where the Heels were this time last season.

“From a numbers standpoint, this is where we were last year, we wanted eight, we didn’t have eight,” Longo told reporters on a Zoom call. “Right now we have six that we love, we have a seventh that we think is going to be pretty good. We have two guys maybe three that are really working to try to get to be that eighth guy.”

To be fair, the Heels, like most other football programs, were counting on spring practice to to develop a few more linemen. When the COVID-19 pandemic led the school to cancel those practices, it left a lot of newcomers and returning players that needed more reps starting from scratch when August practice began. And Longo said it’s difficult to start from zero and get to consistent when playing on the o-line.

“There’s no other singular unit in football that depends more on the overall rhythm that the unit has more than the offensive line,” Longo said. “There were a lot of reps we wanted to get (freshman Jonathan) Adorno and some of the younger offensive linemen. And it would have given us the opportunity to dual train some of our veterans, who now may be able to handle that mentally, whereas last year they may not have, and you didn’t get those reps.”

Longo said last week that he’s been scripting practices leading into their game against the Orange with the thought of developing offensive linemen in mind moreso than any other position, “because we lost the physicality of spring ball.”

Who is expected to start?

Sophomore left tackle Asim Richards is the only newcomer to the starting lineup. Guard Marcus McKethan and tackle Jordan Tucker started 12 games last season beside each other on the right side. Left guard Joshua Ezeudu started every game last season and once center Brian Anderson cracked the lineup the second game of the season, he made 12 straight starts to finish the year.

Who are the key reserves?

Sophomore Ed Montilus is the sixth man of sorts for the line. Depending on the position needing a substitute, Montilus is likely the first one off the bench to fill in at left guard allowing Ezeudu to rotate elsewhere. Raleigh native Jonathan Adorno established himself as the best of the newcomers and earned a spot in the rotation. This, despite the fact that freshman from Rolesville High School didn’t get the added bump from enrolling early after spring practice got canceled. Adorno is being used primarily as a buckup center.

Who might surprise us?

If the team voted for an MVP of the offensive line right now it would likely go to Ezeudu. He’ll be seen lining up at every position except center. “We have one guy (Ezeudu) that really is two people for us,” Longo said. “He can play guard or tackle anywhere on the offensive line so he gives us some flexibility with regards to being able to spell different guys and not have a drop off with an offensive position.”

What are the group’s strengths?

All the talent at the skill positions won’t mean much for Carolina if its offensive line takes a step back from last season. Fortunately for the Heels, the continuity of the starting lineup should have their offense running smoothly from the start. The Heels were relatively young up front last year so having that experience of 48 combined starts should only help since now they know what to expect from each other.

What are the group’s weaknesses?

Depth could be a problem should attrition — through injuries or players being quarantined by the coronavirus — take its toll as the season progresses. If William Barnes and Ty Murray could stay healthy, they help ease those concerns. Once you get past the top six players, the Heels get young and inexperienced fast. While they can make do with a rotation of eight linemen, the real number Brown would like to have is 10. “Everywhere else, we think we’ve got enough depth and we’ll be fine,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “But the offensive line still a question mark.”