Who is starting for UNC football? What the Tar Heels' lineup looked like at fall practice

CHAPEL HILL — College football season arrived for North Carolina on Wednesday as the Tar Heels took the fields at Bill Koman Practice Complex for their first official practice of the 2023 season.

For an hour and a half, UNC participated in individual and team drills while media members watched from the catwalk and sidelines. In four weeks, the Tar Heels will be playing their season opener against South Carolina at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Following practice, UNC head coach Mack Brown discussed several topics, including the Tar Heels’ need for depth.

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During the first offense-versus-defense portion of practice, UNC gave us an idea of who might be starting on both sides of the ball against the Gamecocks on Sept. 2.

First-team reps in the secondary were taken by Marcus Allen, DeAndre Boykins, Giovanni Biggers and Alijah Huzzie, with Don Chapman also getting some work on the backend. Defensive back Will Hardy missed the first day of practice with a lower-leg injury, but is expected to be ready for the season opener.

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"Alijah's a leader," Brown said. "He's an All-American at a lower level. He's had a bunch of interceptions, which we haven't had. ... We feel like he has a chance to be really good for us."

Desmond Evans, Myles Murphy and Kevin Hester Jr. were a part of the first group of defensive linemen. Cedric Gray and Power Echols were the first-team linebackers, and Kaimon Rucker manned the jack position.

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Offensively, running back Omarion Hampton joined quarterback Drake Maye in the backfield, but Elijah Green also took some first-team reps. The first-team offensive line featured William Barnes, Willie Lampkin, Corey Gaynor and Spencer Rolland.

Kamari Morales was the tight end in that first group. High-profile transfers Nate McCollum and Tez Walker were the primary receivers in the first group, with Kobe Paysour in the slot.

But even with a wealth of talent at certain positions, Brown emphasized the importance of getting backups more work to improve UNC’s depth across the roster.

“Most teams that have a great year are teams that have the fewest injuries,” he said. “You gotta have depth to have fewer injuries. We talk about depth every year and we still haven’t gotten the depth that we need.”

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC football: Drake Maye, Tar Heels' starters as practice begins