North Carolina football has some things to figure out before the 2024 season. Star quarterback Drake Maye has made his way to the NFL and won't be returning to the program. While his absence will certainly be felt, that doesn't mean that North Carolina football won't be competitive without him.
The Tar Heels return players like Omarion Hampton, Kaimon Rucker, and Power Echols. All will be instrumental for their team in the 2024 football season.
North Carolina football has top RB in Omarion Hampton
North Carolina loses one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but they return one of the best running backs in junior Omarion Hampton. Hampton was extremely productive for the Tar Heels last season.
He handled the rock 253 times for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns. Hampton is a ferocious and consistent downhill runner who does not shy away from contact.
He is not just a bowling ball. Hampton can also run by defenders or shake them out of their boots if he needs to. On top of that, he is an outstanding receiver out of the backfield. Hampton caught 29 passes last year for 222 yards and added another score through the air. He is a complete back who can do it all.
The 2025 NFL Draft is shaping up to feature a strong running back class. Players like Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II and Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson could be early picks. But Hampton is right there with those guys. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on with this North Carolina football team during the 2024 season.
Kaimon Rucker brings fiery pass rush to North Carolina.
Another player to monitor this season will be edge rusher Kaimon Rucker. Rucker is returning to North Carolina for his fifth season of college football and will look to build upon his breakout senior campaign.
Rucker posted 61 total tackles and 8.5 sacks in 2023. Those were both career-highs.
Rucker's 2023 season was sensational. To put it in context, the 8.5 sacks he posted was the same number that Missouri's Darius Robinson had. Robinson got drafted in the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Alabama's Chris Braswell, a second-round pick in April's draft, had eight.
Rucker has a great chance to really put himself on the map in 2024. He probably could've gotten drafted had he declared for the 2024 draft but chose to come back to school instead. Rucker will have the chance to improve his draft stock drastically by returning to North Carolina for a fifth season.
Power Echols is Tar Heels' tackling machine
One more returning player to monitor on North Carolina's defense is linebacker Power Echols. Echols has done nothing but bring down ballcarriers during his time in Chapel Hill. In 2023, he registered 102 total tackles. Echols just missed on beating the career-high he set in 2022, where he accumulated 103 total tackles.
Echols and Rucker have a lot on their plate to help restore the Tar Heels' defense. Last season, they allowed 405.4 yards per game. That was the third-worst mark in the ACC in 2023 and fourth-worst after including Stanford. Georgia Tech and Virginia were the only other teams worse in that department.
North Carolina making a switch at defensive coordinator to Geoff Collins means that Echols' return to campus becomes all the more noteworthy. He is the quarterback of the defense, so having a veteran presence like him in charge should make that transition more seamless. Echols' play will be very important to the Tar Heels' success in 2024.
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