The 2007 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 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Butch Davis, the Tar Heels played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina finished the season 4–8 overall and 3–5 in ACC play to place fourth in the Coastal Division.
Preseason Immediately after Bunting's firing on October 22, 2006 there was much speculation over who North Carolina would name their new football coach. Rumors immediately started to circulate that former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Hurricanes, Butch Davis, was interested in the position.""Butch Davis jumps to top of list for North Carolina job." ESPN.com. Retrieved on March 4, 2007. Athletic director Dick Baddour confirmed the accuracy of the rumors when he announced on November 13, 2006, that Butch Davis had agreed to become the new head football coach.""Butch Davis hired to coach at UNC ." sportingnews.com. Retrieved on March 4, 2007. Soon after his hiring, Butch Davis began to assemble his coaching staff. He was able to lure offensive coordinator John Shoop and defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano from the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL), and defensive line coach John Blake from Nebraska. Blake is regarded by many to be one of the best recruiters in all of college football.""John Blake Hired As North Carolina Assistant Football Coach ." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on March 4, 2007.
As of March 2007 many publications began releasing preseason rankings for the upcoming football season. Although UNC still ranked in the lower tier of the Atlantic Coast Conference, many publications were impressed with the Tar Heels' hiring of Butch Davis and their top ranked recruiting class.""Inside Spring Drills: ACC Preview." rivals.com. Retrieved on March 4, 2007.
Recruiting The Tar Heels received 20 letters of intent on National Signing Day, February 7, 2007. Three student athletes had already enrolled before National Signing Day making this class relatively large with 23 commitments.
Coaching staff Name Position"North Carolina Coaching Staff ." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on March 4, 2007. Seasons in Position Butch Davis Head coach 1st John Blake Associate head coach / recruiting coordinator / defensive line 1st Ken Browning Running backs 14th Jeff Connors Strength and conditioning coordinator 7th Steve Hagen Tight Ends 1st John Lovett Special teams coordinator / Defensive Assistant 1st Chuck Pagano Defensive coordinator / defensive backs 1st Sam Pittman Offensive Line 1st John Shoop Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks 1st Tommy Thigpen Linebackers 3rd Charlie Williams Wide Receivers 1st
Schedule
Team statistics Passing Leader Cmp Att Yds TD Int T. J. Yates 218 365 2655 14 18
Rushing Leaders Car Yds Long TD Johnny White 95 399 39 0 Anthony Elzy 92 321 39 5 Greg Little 59 300 38 2 Ryan Houston 44 145 10 1 Brandon Tate 12 131 54 1
Receiving Leaders Rec Yds Long TD Hakeem Nicks 74 958 53 5 Brandon Tate 25 479 51 5 Brooks Foster 29 417 65 2
Kicking XPM XPA FGM FGM Long Pts Connor Barth 21 23 19 22 51 78
References