UNC will begin the 2012 season against Elon at Kenan Stadium on Sept. 4. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — And we’re back from Greensboro, and from the ACC’s annual preseason football kickoff. As you know by now, the ACC media picked the Tar Heels to finish third in the Coastal Division, behind Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. UNC received two first-place votes.

Lots of things came out of the ACC’s media days, which were somewhat overshadowed by the NCAA’s announcement of debilitating sanctions against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse case. I wrote a story you can read here about how the ACC coaches reacted to the news.

As for UNC, lots of things of interest emerged. I’ll write about some of those both here and in the paper in the coming days, but first wanted to provide a recap of five things we learned about the Tar Heels during the ACC kickoff. Here goes …

UNC coach Larry Fedora has dismissed senior WR Todd Harrelson. PHOTO: Robert Willett

GREENSBORO — Lots of stuff coming from the ACC football kickoff, but first some news:

North Carolina wide receiver Todd Harrelson has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules, Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said on Monday.

Where will UNC finish in the Coastal Division in coach Larry Fedora's first season in Chapel Hill?  PHOTO: Robert Willett

GREENSBORO — I don’t usually vote in these things but Mike Finn, the ACC’s associate commissioner of football communications, convinced me I should cast a preseason football ballot here at the ACC’s annual preseason football kickoff.

So I obliged. Truth be told, it wasn’t that much of a hard sell. Preseason polls are pretty meaningless, and my opinion certainly doesn’t mean much so it fits right in. Anyway, in case you missed it on Twitter earlier, here’s how I filled out my preseason football ballot:

UNC quarterback Bryn Renner shares a past with N.C. State quarterback Mike Glennon. PHOTO: Robert Willett

GREENSBORO — Don’t want to give too much away, because I made them the focal point of the story I just wrote off of Day One of the ACC’s annual preseason football kickoff, but North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner shares a lot in common with N.C. State quarterback Mike Glennon.

Both are natives of northern Virginia. Both grew up playing basketball and football. Both competed against the other. Both went on to play collegiately at North Carolina schools. And both are part of perhaps deepest returning class of quarterbacks the ACC has ever seen.

UNC coach Larry Fedora has released his first preseason depth chart of his coaching tenure in Chapel Hill. PHOTO: Robert Willett

GREENSBORO — Welcome to Greensboro. I’m here for the ACC’s annual preseason football kickoff. Lots going on today – starting with the annual football forum with commissioner John Swofford – but I wanted to quickly post North Carolina’s preseason depth chart, which is included in the Tar Heels’ media guide.

Here goes:

UNC LB Darius Lipford (not pictured) did not participate in the Tar Heels' spring practice because of his knee injury. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — If you haven’t heard already, North Carolina announced on Thursday that junior linebacker Darius Lipford will miss the 2012 season after reinjuring his left knee. 

UNC QB Bryn Renner will spend this weekend as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner this weekend will be a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy. But he’s also there to learn.

UNC players Jonathan Cooper, James Hurst, Kevin Reddick and Sylvester Williams are all on preseason award watch lists. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — The lead up to a college football season means a lot of things. Preseason magazines. Preseason polls. And, of course, preseason award watch lists. North Carolina has four players on watch lists that came out today.

Meet the Heels Day is Aug. 4 at Kenan Stadium, where you can meet UNC coach Larry Fedora (right), among others. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — And oh, yes. Football season is upon us. The UNC football team will host “Meet the Heels Day” on Aug. 4.

The pertinent info:

What: Meet the Heels Day
Where: Kenan Stadium
When: Autograph sessions from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; stadium gates open at 3 p.m.

Drew Davis (not pictured), the son of former UNC coach Butch Davis (center), will be a walk-on quarterback for the Tar Heels. PHOTO: N&O file

CHAPEL HILL — Lots of connections here. Drew Davis played in high school at East Chapel Hill High for Bill Renner. Who is the father of North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner. Who used to play for Butch Davis. Who is the father of Drew Davis, who has enrolled at UNC, which fired the elder Davis almost a year ago.

Following?

Drew Davis, the former quarterback at East Chapel Hill High, has enrolled at UNC, where he will be a walk-on quarterback for the Tar Heels. It might seem odd, Davis’ arrival at UNC, given the way things ended there for his father. The university fired Butch Davis in late July 2011 amid NCAA investigations into impermissible benefits and academic fraud. It was a messy, painful ending to Davis’ tenure, which began with grand expectations.

You might remember, too, that Butch Davis drew the ire of UNC chancellor Holden Thorp, who criticized Davis’ decision to offer his son a football scholarship. (The elder Davis, meanwhile, told the Associated Press that had he remained the Tar Heels’ head coach, Drew Davis wouldn’t have been on scholarship at UNC.)

So now here we are. After all this time and all this controversy, Drew Davis has arrived at the school where everything went wrong for his father. The NCAA didn’t charge Butch Davis with a violation, and he has maintained his innocence in the aftermath of the scandal that cost him his job at UNC. It will likely be a while before Drew Davis has a chance to explain publicly why he chose to go to UNC. In the meantime, I spent a few minutes speaking with Bill Renner, his high school coach at East Chapel Hill High.

Here’s what Renner had to say about it: