• Donavan Tate was not at practice on Friday but he is expected to be on campus on Saturday.
Tate, the third overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, has until Aug. 17 to negotiate a deal with the San Diego Padres. He can practice with UNC without affecting his immediate two-sport future.
"We're hopeful it works out," UNC coach Butch Davis said. "[But] I have no idea."
Davis said Tate will play quarterback, joining fellow freshmen Bryn Renner and A.J. Blue and redshirt freshman Braden Hanson in the mix for third-string behind starter T.J. Yates and backup Mike Paulus.
Tate, an outfielder in baseball, also played safety in high school. Blue, who is listed as an "athlete" on the roster, also plays running back. He was taking reps with the quarterbacks in the portion of practice which was open to the media on Friday.
• This could be the last August camp for a group of juniors — defensive tackle Marvin Austin, linebacker Bruce Carter and linebacker Quan Sturdivant, who if all goes well, could be in the NFL next season. Carter said he's thought about the possibility but it's not high on his radar.
"I'm not trying to make a decision today," Carter said.
• Don't be alarmed by the wrap on safety Deunta Williams' left wrist. The junior had surgery after spring practice and will wear what looks like a soft cast for the first part of camp as a precaution.
• UNC's No. 20 ranking in the USA Today Top 25 is the first time the Heels have been ranked in the preseason since 1998, Carl Torbush's first year.
That UNC team, which opened at No. 12 in the AP poll, started 0-1 with a home loss to Miami (Ohio). The program wasn't ranked in the top 25 again until Nov. 2001.
With The Citadel as this year's opener, on Sept. 5, there's little chance of history repeating.
Comments
It's just practice...
Sat, 08/08/2009 - 16:52 — UNC1998Not the game where people sweat and bleed. Man, we talkin' 'bout practice.
Notes from first weeks of practice
Sat, 08/08/2009 - 14:20 — Heels20Boston College: After the departure of Dominique Davis, the Eagles have opened competition to fill the QB position. 57 year-old Dave Shinskie seems to be the front-runner ahead of two former BC softball players.
Clemson: Dabo Swinney said he plans to not only fill the shoes of Tommy Bowden, but more. "This year, we will only fall two games short of expectations, rather than the usual three," Swinney said.
Duke: David Cutcliffe will be offered a 10-year contract extension after the 2009 season under the condition that he wins two conference games. The school also announced that free basketball tickets will come with the purchase of any football season ticket packages.
Florida State: Bobby Bowden announced that former receiver Preston Parker was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Parker was dismissed from the FSU football team during the off-season after being arrested for a DUI. The Jaguars believe that Parker can fit the criminal mold of Jaguar receivers.
Georgia Tech: 20,000 fans showed up to the first Yellow Jacket practice to watch the option attack. 15,000 of those fans were asleep by the end of practice.
Maryland: Ralph Friedgen lost another 50 pounds this off-season. He is now down to a personal all-time low of 430 pounds.
Miami: Canes fans started Heisman chants every time Jacory Harris completed a pass. A recent poll revealed that 97% of students at Miami believe they will win a national title this season.
North Carolina: Coach Butch Davis announced that TJ Yates will be out for the season after damaging his vocal cords while calling out the cadence.
NC State: Tom O'Brien revealed the team's current depth chart. The chart showed that the Pack plans to start four walk-ons in the defensive backfield this season.
Virginia: Al Groh admitted he is not sure how to handle the offense this year. After the loss of Cedric Pearman to the NFL, the 20-year long Pearman Dynasty has finally come to an end.
Virginia Tech: Coaches are confident they will see improvement in the passing game as they have discovered that Tyrod Taylor is actually left-handed. "I guess I was just never taught to throw a football," Taylor said. "I was always expected to just run the ball and keep the clock running so my defense could bail me out."
Wake Forest: The media arrived to practice only to discover that star quarterback Riley Skinner was absent. When asked why his quarterback is missing at such an important time, Jim Grobe told the media that Skinner was wrapping up a nude photo shoot, and would return by the beginning of next week.
Finally
Sat, 08/08/2009 - 16:09 — JPDOhioSomeone has a finger on the pulse of ACC football and reports the news that matters.
good stuff
Sat, 08/08/2009 - 15:53 — gvillegatrthis is the kind of stuff I like to read!! lol.
top 25
Sat, 08/08/2009 - 10:25 — mad_maxUNC should have no problem staying in the rankings for at least a couple weeks. First two games should go their way, but then I think the ECU and GT games will be very good indicators of where UNC is at this year. No question the last half of the schedule is gonna be a million times tougher though. It will be interesting to see how much momentum UNC can build up in their first 6 games. 6-0 and they may be on their way to tampa; 4-2 and they could be dreading the final 6 games.
Agreed
Sat, 08/08/2009 - 10:39 — Heels20A good start to the season is extremely important this year. As you said, we could play good football and start out 6-0, but there would still be a lot of work to do. I think that VT, FSU and NC State will be our three toughest games this year, and all three are in the second half of the season. By no means will Miami be a cupcake, either. That just puts even more emphasis on the importance of the game in Atlanta and home-game against ECU. Avoiding injuries will be key. We started 7-2 this past season, only to lose 3 of our last 4 because of an inability to adjust when Yates got back (and because of a very hungry Wolfpack team).
didn't sound like much of a practice, JPG?
Sat, 08/08/2009 - 07:55 — gvillegatrdid UNC practice at all or was this a meet and greet with the players and media?