2015 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2015 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Larry Fedora and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. North Carolina finished the season 11–3 overall and 8–0 in ACC play to win the ACC Coastal Division title. They represented the Coastal Division in the ACC Championship Game, where they lost to Atlantic Division champion Clemson. They were invited to the Russell Athletic Bowl, where they lost to Baylor.

2015 North Carolina Tar Heels football
ACC Coastal Division champion
ACC Championship Game, L 37–45 vs. Clemson
Russell Athletic Bowl, L 38–49 vs. Baylor
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Division	Coastal Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 15
Record	11–3 (8–0 ACC)
Head coach	Larry Fedora (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Seth Littrell (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Gene Chizik (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Captains	Marquise Williams Landon Turner Shakeel Rashad Jeff Schoettmer Mack Hollins
Home stadium	Kenan Memorial Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 2 Clemson x$^		8	–	0					14	–	1
No. 14 Florida State		6	–	2					10	–	3
Louisville		5	–	3					8	–	5
NC State		3	–	5					7	–	6
Syracuse		2	–	6					4	–	8
Wake Forest		1	–	7					3	–	9
Boston College		0	–	8					3	–	9
Coastal Division
No. 15 North Carolina x		8	–	0					11	–	3
Pittsburgh		6	–	2					8	–	5
Miami (FL)		5	–	3					8	–	5
Duke		4	–	4					8	–	5
Virginia Tech		4	–	4					7	–	6
Virginia		3	–	5					4	–	8
Georgia Tech		1	–	7					3	–	9
Championship: Clemson 45, North Carolina 37
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

National Signing Day was on February 4, 2015, and was the first chance for high school seniors to officially declare which university or college they will be attending for their college career. North Carolina had 19 high school seniors sign a National Letter of Intent to play football with them. Of the class, 10 athletes enrolled early to UNC.^[1]

College recruiting information (2015)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Jake Bargas TE	Boca Raton, FL	St. Andrew's School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.7	Jan 19, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (77)
Corey Bell DB	Charlotte, NC	Hough HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	158 lb (72 kg)	-	Mar 18, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (75)
J. K. Britt ATH	Newnan, GA	Newnan HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	-	Jun 30, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (78)
Aaron Crawford DT	Ashburn, VA	Stone Bridge HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	303 lb (137 kg)	-	May 20, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (78)
Jalen Dalton DE	Clemmons, NC	West Forsyth HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	-	Nov 13, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (84)
Nathan Elliott QB	Celina, TX	Celina HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Apr 18, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (76)
Tommy Hatton OC	Montvale, NJ	St. Joseph's HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	-	Jun 13, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Charlie Heck OT	Kansas City, MO	Rockhurst HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	-	Dec 1, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (73)
Mike Hughes CB	New Bern, NC	New Bern HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	-	Dec 22, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Juval Mollette WR	Randleman, NC	Randleman HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	186 lb (84 kg)	-	Jun 21, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Nick Polino OG	Buford, GA	Buford HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	-	Jun 22, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (78)
Anthony Ratliff-Williams QB	Matthews, NC	Butler HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	-	Mar 10, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (77)
Andre Smith LB	Jacksonville, FL	Trinity Christian HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Dec 12, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (79)
Jason Strowbridge DE	Deerfield Beach, FL	Deerfield Beach HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.9	Feb 2, 2015
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Johnathon Sutton LB	Swansea, SC	Swansea HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	214 lb (97 kg)	-	Jun 21, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
William Sweet OT	Jacksonville, FL	First Coast HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	-	Apr 12, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Carl Tucker TE	Huntersville, NC	Hough HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	-	Apr 12, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (81)
Mason Veal OG	Charlotte, NC	Ardrey Kell HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	-	Mar 28, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (80)
Ty'Son Williams RB	Sumter, SC	Crestwood HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	4.6	Jul 29, 2014
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: 24    Rivals: 28    247Sports: 28    ESPN: 24
‡ Refers to 40-yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "North Carolina Football Commitment List (19)". Rivals. Retrieved August 19, 2015. "North Carolina Tar Heels 2015 Player Commits". ESPN. Retrieved August 19, 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved August 19, 2015. "North Carolina 2015 Football Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved August 19, 2015.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 p.m.	vs. South Carolina*		Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (Belk Kickoff Game, rivalry)	ESPN	L 13–17	51,664[2]
September 12	6:00 p.m.	North Carolina A&T*		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN3	W 53–14	44,000[2]
September 19	12:00 p.m.	Illinois*		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN2	W 48–14	41,000[2]
September 26	12:30 p.m.	Delaware*		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ACCRSN	W 41–14	39,000[2]
October 3	3:30 p.m.	at Georgia Tech		Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA	ESPNU	W 38–31	50,585[2]
October 17	7:00 p.m.	Wake Forest		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (rivalry)	ACCRSN	W 50–14	50,500[2]
October 24	3:30 p.m.	Virginia		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry)	ACCRSN	W 26–13	52,000[2]
October 29	7:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Pittsburgh		Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA	ESPN	W 26–19	43,049[2]
November 7	12:00 p.m.	Duke		Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell)	ESPN2	W 66–31	60,000[2]
November 14	3:30 p.m.	Miami (FL)	No. 23	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPNU	W 59–21	61,000[2]
November 21	12:00 p.m.	at Virginia Tech	No. 17	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	ESPN	W 30–27 OT	65,632[2]
November 28	3:30 p.m.	at NC State	No. 14	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	ABC/ESPN2	W 45–34	57,600[2]
December 5	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Clemson	No. 10	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (ACC Championship Game)	ABC	L 37–45	74,514[2]
December 29	5:30 p.m.	vs. No. 17 Baylor*	No. 10	Orlando Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL (Russell Athletic Bowl)	ESPN	L 38–49	40,418[2]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 3 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[3]

North Carolina is the only FBS team that played all of its 2015 regular-season games, both home and away, on grass fields.^[4]

Rankings

Further information: 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	21	17	12	11	8	10	15
Coaches	RV	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	21	17	12	11	8	11	15
CFP	Not released									—	23	17	14	10	10	Not released

Game summaries

Vs. South Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gamecocks	0	10	0	7	17
Tar Heels	7	6	0	0	13

See also: 2015 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

North Carolina A&T

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	0	7	7	14
Tar Heels	22	14	17	0	53

See also: 2015 North Carolina A&T Aggies football team

Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	0	7	0	7	14
Tar Heels	10	10	7	21	48

See also: 2015 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Delaware

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fightin' Blue Hens	7	0	7	0	14
Tar Heels	7	6	14	14	41

See also: 2015 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

At Georgia Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tar Heels	0	14	10	14	38
Yellow Jackets	7	14	7	3	31

See also: 2015 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team

Wake Forest

	1	2	3	4	Total
Demon Deacons	7	7	0	0	14
Tar Heels	0	29	7	14	50

See also: 2015 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team and North Carolina–Wake Forest rivalry

Virginia

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cavaliers	10	3	0	0	13
Tar Heels	7	6	3	10	26

See also: 2015 Virginia Cavaliers football team and South's Oldest Rivalry

At Pittsburgh

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tar Heels	3	17	3	3	26
#23 Panthers	3	0	10	6	19

See also: 2015 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Duke

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Devils	3	7	14	7	31
#21 Tar Heels	21	17	21	7	66

See also: 2015 Duke Blue Devils football team and Victory Bell (Duke–North Carolina)

Miami (FL)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hurricanes	0	0	7	14	21
#17 Tar Heels	7	24	21	7	59

See also: 2015 Miami Hurricanes football team

At Virginia Tech

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
#12 Tar Heels	7	0	3	14	6	30
Hokies	0	3	7	14	3	27

See also: 2015 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

At NC State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#11 Tar Heels	35	0	0	10	45
Wolfpack	7	7	9	11	34

See also: 2015 NC State Wolfpack football team and North Carolina–NC State football rivalry

vs Clemson

See also: 2015 Clemson Tigers football team and 2015 ACC Championship Game

#1 Clemson Tigers vs #8 North Carolina Tar Heels – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#1 Tigers	7	14	14	10	45
#8 Tar Heels	9	7	7	14	37

at Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, NC

• Date: December 5, 2015
• Game time: 8:00 p.m.
• TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color), Heather Cox (sideline)
• Sources:

vs Baylor

See also: 2015 Baylor Bears football team and 2015 Russell Athletic Bowl

#17 Baylor Bears vs #10 North Carolina Tar Heels – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 North Carolina	7	10	14	7	38
#17 Baylor	14	14	14	7	49

at Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium • Orlando, FL

• Date: December 29, 2015
• Game time: 5:30 p.m.
• Game attendance: 40,418
• TV: ESPN

Coaching staff

North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora entered his fourth year as the North Carolina's head coach for the 2015 season. After ranking as one of the worst defenses in the country in 2014, Fedora completely revamped the Tar Heel defensive coaching staff. Fedora hired Gene Chizik as the new defensive coordinator.^[5] Chizik was most recently the head coach at Auburn, where he led the Tigers to a national championship in 2011. With the coaching change, UNC also switched from a 4-2-5 base defense to a 4–3 defense. Other defensive coaching hires include John Papuchis, former defensive coordinator at Nebraska, as linebackers coach, Tray Scott as defensive line coach, and Charlton Warren as defensive backs coach.^[6]

Coaches for the 2015 season^[6]

Name	Position	Seasons at North Carolina
Larry Fedora	Head coach	4th
Gene Chizik	Defensive coordinator	1st
Gunter Brewer	Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers	4th (9th overall)
Chris Kapilovic	Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line	2nd (4th overall)
Seth Littrell	Assistant head coach for offense/tight ends	2nd
Keith Heckendorf	Quarterbacks	2nd
John Papuchis	Linebackers coach	1st
Tray Scott	Defensive line coach	1st
Charlton Warren	Defensive backs coach	1st
Lou Hernandez	Strength and conditioning coordinator	4th

Awards

All-Conference selections

^[7]

First Team • Elijah Hood – Running back • Landon Turner - Guard

Second Team • Marquise Williams - Quarterback • Mack Hollins – Wide receiver • Jon Heck – Offensive tackle • Caleb Peterson - Guard • M. J. Stewart - Cornerback • Ryan Switzer - Specialist

Third Team • Ryan Switzer – Wide receiver • Quinshad Davis – Wide receiver • Lucas Crowley - Center • Nazair Jones - Defensive tackle • Shakeel Rashad - Linebacker • Des Lawrence - Cornerback

All-American selections

• Landon Turner, Offensive Line (AP, Athlon)
• Ryan Switzer, All-purpose / return specialist (AFCA)

NFL draft

For the second year in a row, North Carolina did not have any players selected in the NFL draft.^[8]

The following players signed as undrafted free agents:^[9]

Name	Position	Team
Quinshad Davis	Wide receiver	Detroit Lions
Romar Morris	Running back	New York Jets
Shakeel Rashad	Linebacker	Houston Texans
Jeff Schoettmer	Linebacker	New Orleans Saints
Landon Turner	Guard	New Orleans Saints
Marquise Williams	Quarterback	Minnesota Vikings