Major Setback UNC WR Room Battling Injuries, Seeing Growth From Freshmen

North Carolina’s three true freshmen all caught passes against JMU last week. The unit continues to deal with injuries.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Due to the high-scoring nature of last week’s game against James Madison, North Carolina had to increase their passing game, resulting in a total of 48 pass attempts. Consequently, the depth of the team’s wide receiver lineup became more prominent.

The wide receiver corps has faced injuries during the offseason, leading to several players missing practice time, and two more receivers have recently been sidelined. The team announced on Monday that Nate McCollum “should be back” for the Duke game after missing the matchup against JMU. Christian Hamilton, who started the first four games, is expected to be out for “a couple of weeks.”

All three of UNC’s freshman receivers—Jordan Shipp, Alex Taylor, and Javarius Green—caught passes in last week’s game. Shipp recorded two catches for 25 yards, with his second reception being UNC’s final touchdown. Taylor grabbed a 15-yard pass from Jacolby Criswell, while Green caught one for 12 yards.

“That group has really dealt with a lot of injuries,” Mack Brown said on Monday. “It’s been challenging to keep players available, but Vari showed some promise on Saturday. He made a couple of questionable decisions on kickoff returns that we need to address, but it’s only his third game. He ran a reverse successfully, and it’s great to see Alex and Jordan performing well after both having missed some time due to injuries.

“Overall, that group looks promising for the future. We just need to keep building on it. I thought JJ (Jones) had a solid game on Saturday, as did both tight ends.”

Paul Billups II, a redshirt-freshman who was part of the team last season, had 17 offensive snaps against the Dukes, while sophomore Chris Culliver played 38 snaps, though neither recorded a catch.

This season, McCollum has only caught three passes for 14 yards, with some of the decrease in production linked to UNC rotating quarterbacks earlier in the season. Hamilton had just three snaps against JMU, making two catches for 51 yards but also losing a fumble before leaving the game in the first quarter. According to Pro Football Focus, Hamilton ranks second among UNC wide receivers with 146 offensive snaps, behind Jones.

UNC struggled to establish consistency in their passing game before turning to Criswell at quarterback. Although the game against JMU got away from the Tar Heels in the first half, it did lead to 11 different players making a reception, including a season-high of seven wide receivers. Jones was the standout among WRs with five catches for 86 yards, followed by Kobe Paysour with four catches for 93 yards.

As North Carolina heads into conference play against Duke, they are seeking more contributions from wide receivers with Hamilton sidelined and McCollum on the mend. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey emphasized the importance of readiness from the younger receivers.

“The season’s a long season,” Lindsey noted. “We’ve had a few guys banged up, but as those young players continue to develop, it will help us moving forward. Hopefully, we’ll have a player or two back soon, but I’m really proud of what those guys accomplished on Saturday. I believe they will keep improving the more reps they get.”