After a 6-7 season a year ago, the North Carolina football team heads into 2022 with a strong group of returners and a few key positions that need to be replaced.

On offense, the Tar Heels have a great receivers room coming back led by Josh Downs. However, they have to replace their dynamic backfield of quarterback Sam Howell and running back Ty Chandler, with unproven options likely to get thrust into action.

Defensively, Carolina returns a ton of its starters from a unit that struggled some in 2021. Gene Chizik is back in Chapel Hill to lead the unit after a few years away from football, and he has some talent to work with.

Ahead of Carolina’s season opener against Florida A&M, here is how each position group stacks up:

Quarterbacks – C-

Sam Howell is gone, and there’s a quarterback competition brewing in Chapel Hill.

It was a 2-horse race for the Tar Heels’ starting spot, with sophomore Jacolby Criswell and redshirt freshman Drake Maye vying to be the man. Criswell started a game against Wofford last year, and he has compiled just 195 yards and a touchdown during his career. Maye, the younger brother of former Carolina basketball star Luke Maye, attempted just 10 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in 2021.

Both Maye and Criswell were 4-star recruits out of high school, but neither has played much given Howell’s durability. Mack Brown named Maye the starter for Saturday’s opener against Florida A&M, though both QBs are expected to play significantly.

Freshman Conner Harrell, a 3-star recruit, and redshirt sophomore Jefferson Boaz are the depth guys behind Criswell and Maye.

Running Backs – C+

Another big loss UNC has to replace in 2022 is Ty Chandler, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns last year. The likely lead back replacement for Carolina was British Brooks, but his season came to an end before it ever began as he suffered a season-ending lower-body injury during fall camp.

Now the Tar Heels have to move forward with a slew of inexperienced but talented backs, led by the returning trio of D.J. Jones, Caleb Hood and Elijah Green. Jones rushed 60 times for 253 yards in 2021. Hood had 22 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown. Green rushed for just 39 yards.

In addition to the 3 returners, Carolina also brings in 2 exceptionally talented freshmen running backs in George Pettaway and Omarion Hampton. Both were 4-star recruits, and both have garnered praise this fall.

The bad news for Carolina at running back is that nobody has experience with Brooks out of the picture. The good news for the Tar Heels is they still have 5 really talented backs to pick from. It’s a very deep running back room in Chapel Hill, though it’s one that is going to get thrown into the fire early.

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends – A

The star of Carolina’s offense is slot receiver Josh Downs, a preseason All-ACC selection who hauled in 1,335 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2021. He’s back for the Heels, and so is Carolina’s 2nd-leading receiver from a year ago in Antoine Green.

Carolina’s other 2021 starter Emery Simmons has transferred to Indiana, but some rotational guys who played last year should be able to fill that void. J.J. Jones and Justin Olson will see bigger roles after both playing in the rotation last year. Four-star freshman Andre Greene Jr. was one of Carolina’s premiere members of the Class of 2022, and he could be a candidate to contribute early as well.

At tight end, Carolina returns 2 of its 3 main guys from a year ago. Kamari Morales had 220 yards and 5 touchdowns last year, and Bryson Nesbit is back after a 154-yard season a year ago. John Copenhaver and Kendall Karr provide the depth.

The Tar Heels’ receiving corps certainly is a strength of the team, led by one of the ACC’s premiere playmakers in Downs.

Offensive Line – B

There was an overhaul on the offensive line this offseason for the Tar Heels, as Carolina hired a line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. and lost 3 starters to the NFL.

Asim Richards returns at left tackle to anchor the offensive line, while Brian Anderson returns from injury and could start at center. Veteran Ed Montilus is expected to step into one of the vacant guard spots, with returners William Barnes, Diego Pounds and Jonathan Adorno just some of the options to fill the right tackle and other guard vacancy.

Carolina also has some big-name newcomers on the offensive line. Interior lineman Corey Gaynor transferred from Miami and could compete for the starting center job. Harvard transfer Spencer Rolland also has a shot at starting at left tackle.

The other huge newcomer to keep an eye on for the Tar Heels is freshman tackle Zach Rice. He was the crown jewel of the recruiting class, a 5-star recruit ranked the No. 1 tackle in the country by 247 Sports.

The Tar Heels were great in the run game but allowed more sacks than any other ACC team last year. Even with some departures, there’s still good options for the Tar Heels on the offensive line this year.

Defensive Line – A

North Carolina had 8 defensive linemen on its roster in 2021 who appeared in a game. All of those players are back in 2022, and they’re joined by some pretty exciting newcomers on the defensive front as well.

Starting end Myles Murphy returns after his 4 sacks last year ranked 2nd on the Heels. Nose tackle Raymond Vohasek is back after a strong season. Desmond Evans, Jahvaree Ritzie and Kevin Hester Jr. were all big parts of the rotation last year, and they all return as well. Kaimon Rucker played a lot of linebacker in 2021, but he’s listed as a defensive lineman and will provide depth on the end.

The Tar Heels also bring in 2 substantial newcomers. Five-star in-state freshman Travis Shaw was the top 2022 player in all of North Carolina, and he should get snaps this year. Ohio State transfer Jacolbe Cowan also joins the mix up front for Carolina.

Linebackers – B-

UNC is not super deep at linebacker heading into 2022, though the Tar Heels do seem to have 2 clear-cut starters ready for the bulk of snaps. Jeremiah Gemmel and edge-rushing linebacker Tomon Fox are gone, but there’s some depth guys looking to step up.

Cedric Gray led the Tar Heels 100 total tackles in 2021, 25 more than anybody else on the team. With his main partner Gemmel departed, sophomore Power Echols is projected to be the other starter in the 4-2-5. Rara Dillworth is the most notable man off the bench at linebacker for the Heels.

Virginia transfer Noah Taylor should play a big role in taking over Fox’s duties as the Jack, with veteran Chris Collins likely to play there as well. Freshman Sebastian Cheeks, a 4-star recruit, also could have a small role.

The linebacker room isn’t the biggest for the Tar Heels, but there’s some great top-end talent in Gray and Echols.

Defensive Backs – C+

While North Carolina’s secondary wasn’t exactly a strength of the team in 2021, the Tar Heels also didn’t lose much of anything as they head into 2022 with more experience.

Trey Morrison and Kyler McMichael are the departures, with Morrison the bigger loss. But Carolina returns a pair of starting cornerbacks in Storm Duck and Tony Grimes, and at the back end Cam’Ron Kelly is back to play safety. Giovanni Biggers and Ja’Qurious Conley also are back in the safety room.

The key newcomer for Carolina is Ohio State transfer Lejond Cavazos, who has a good chance to start in some capacity.

Like the linebacker room, UNC’s secondary has some top-end talent but isn’t very deep.