16 will walk on UNC senior day, but 3 veteran Tar Heels will return, Mack Brown says

North Carolina coach Mack Brown said seniors Beau Corrales, Tyrone Hopper and Grayson Atkins decided to take advantage of an NCAA eligibility waiver and will return for another year.

Brown told reporters Wednesday that the Tar Heels, as part the team’s senior day ceremony Saturday before the game against Western Carolina, will recognize 16 players who are graduating and will not return to Chapel Hill next season.

“All those guys have graduated and they will not be back,” Brown said. “They’ll be either graduate transfers, or they’ll be going to the NFL or in the workforce in business.”

The notable names who will be wearing the argyle-printed jerseys one last time in Kenan Stadium include running back Michael Carter, linebacker Chazz Surratt, receiver Dazz Newsome, linebacker Tomon Fox, cornerback Patrice Rene and tight end Garrett Walston.

Quarterback Jace Ruder was on the senior day list and will still have two years of eligibility remaining. Ruder lost a preseason competition to freshman Jacolby Criswell to be the backup for Sam Howell.

“What we did is we had their position coach sit down with them and say, ‘Here’s where we think you are, here’s where you’ll be if you come back,’” Brown said. “But we didn’t say, ‘We really want you to come back.’ Come on, man. That’s not fair for them. And a couple have gone back and forth.”

The NCAA put the waiver in place as a safeguard for the potential of COVID-19 to wreak havoc on fall sports. If any of the 16 players who told Brown they were leaving changes his mind, he said it would have to happen before Jan. 19.

It’s an incomplete list in terms of those who could still opt to leave. Brown said UNC administrators Darrell Moody and Paul Pogge are talking to some of the juniors who are contemplating entering the NFL Draft. Brown said they try to find out where pro scouts believe the players would be drafted. They discuss salaries by draft round and basically try to lay out all of the variables and options that come from turning pro.

“We would never tell a junior he should come back,” Brown said. “Our job is to educate them on exactly where they would be and what they would get and then we go from there, and that’s very, very important.”

Although he didn’t mention those juniors by name, running back Javonte Williams is likely one who will be weighing his options. Williams is nearing an 1,000-yard season and leads the nation in scoring with 18 touchdowns.

This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 3:56 PM.

C.L. Brown

The News & Observer

C.L. Brown covers the University of North Carolina for The News & Observer. Brown brings more than two decades of reporting experience including stints as the beat writer on Indiana University and the University of Louisville. After a long stay at the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he earned an APSE award, he’s had stops at ESPN.com, The Athletic and even tried his hand at running his own website, clbrownhoops.com.