The start of a new season cannot come soon enough in Chapel Hill.

By Rich Cirminiello | @RichCirminiello

What you need to know about the offense: After three years of becoming one with the up-tempo, no-huddle spread offense, the Tar Heels are finally ready to erupt to the liking of head coach Larry Fedora. Carolina returns all but its starting tight end from 2014, which means there are no excuses to not be among the ACC’s highest scoring attacks. All-ACC Second Team QB Marquise Williams will be surrounded by the same cast that averaged 33 points and 430 yards a game a year ago. The O-line, which took time to rebuild last fall, now brings back all five starters, including LT John Ferranto who’s been jumped on the depth chart by up-and-coming sophomore Bentley Spain. And the Heels are flush in options at running back and wide receiver. On the ground, T.J. Logan and Elijah Hood offer complementary styles, while all four receivers who caught 35 balls in 2014 remain in Chapel Hill. Senior Quinshad Davis is coming off his worst season with the program, though, and could form a dynamite outside tandem with Mack Hollins if he’s able to rebound to his underclassman form.

What you need to know about the defense: Carolina has a defensive problem the way California has a water problem. Enter Gene Chizik, the former national championship coach at Auburn and a hopeful rainmaker in Chapel Hill. After two years away from the sidelines, Chizik is refreshed and recharged, focusing on one side of the ball for the first time since 2006. And he’ll need all of his energy to tackle a D that was miserable in 2014, ranking 100th or lower in scoring, yards per carry and pass efficiency defense. Chizik has spent much of this offseason installing the 4-3, evaluating his new players and reeducating them on the basics and fundamentals of playing defense. Now, the Tar Heels are not without talented individuals derived from the past few recruiting classes. But it’s up to the newly-configured staff to maximize the potential of those young defenders. If Carolina even remotely resembles last year’s D, the program will be mired in mediocrity, regardless of what the offense accomplishes.

Carolina began last year as a trendy pick to rise out of the muddled Coastal Division. It ended the campaign 6-7, having been spanked by Rutgers in the Quick Lane Bowl. It was a fitting thud for a program that yielded 50 or more points three times and was saddled with locker room dissention. Head coach Larry Fedora has since attempted to turn the page and clear the air, but winning will be the only antidote for what’s ailing the Tar Heels.

They’ve underachieved the last two seasons, going 13-13 combined, making a fast start in 2015 more important than ever. And now Fedora has lured former Auburn coach Gene Chizik out of retirement to fix a sagging D that’s been a central part of the team’s problems.

Chizik is the program’s most important individual this season, trumping both Fedora and star QB Marquise Williams. Because if Chizik is unsuccessful in his return to coaching, the Tar Heels will be no better than a middling squad that wins some shootouts and loses some shootouts. And that’s a model better suited for boosting TV ratings than Coastal Division competitiveness.

The encouraging news for Chizik is that Carolina is not without individual talent mined from the region, but now he must do a distinctly better job than his predecessors of coaching up the kids he inherited.

If all else fails, Carolina can always fall back on the high-octane offense, the safety net of an imbalanced program. The Tar Heels should be able to run with anyone on the schedule, because Williams returns for his senior year, and just one 2014 offensive starter must be replaced. Fedora promised an exciting on-field product when he arrived in 2012, and he hasn’t disappointed.

After ranking third in ACC scoring and fifth in total offense, Carolina is poised to climb a rung or two higher behind a diverse and experienced attack that can spray to all fields.

It’s Year 4 of the Fedora experiment, which has so far been a disappointment. By now, the energetic coach was supposed to have had his Heels in at least one ACC title game. Instead, the team has regressed.

Facing intensifying pressure, the coach has turned his tattered defense over to Chizik, who’s no longer a head coach, yet will profoundly influence one this season.

What to watch for on offense: Less Marquise. Senior QB Marquise Williams is the fulcrum of the Carolina attack, which won’t change in 2015. However, the Tar Heels don’t want him to lead the team in rushing for a third straight year. He already absorbs too much contact, and was worn down at times last season. Instead, the offense plans to make better use of a deep and talented backfield comprised of T.J. Logan, Elijah Hood and Romar Morris. Williams will scramble, but not nearly as much as the last two seasons, as the Heels attempt to protect their franchise behind center.

What to watch for on defense: Reassigning rams and bandits. Long gone are the hybrid positions that marked Vic Koenning’s philosophy when he was still the coordinator. With Gene Chizik in charge, the Heels are using a 4-3 base that phased out the ram and bandit positions. Part of the spring was spent determining who fits best at which depth chart spot. One of the pleasant surprises of the offseason so far has been senior Shakeel Rashad. The one-time bandit, who used to operate with a hand in the dirt, has so far made a smooth transition to strongside linebacker.

The team will be far better if … the returning defenders develop amnesia. The Heels need to have very short memories, because the D did absolutely nothing well in 2014. The collapse wasn’t about one position or one unit or one lacking skill. Carolina was simply bad in all phases. And yet, it’s not as if the program has been unable to attract gifted athletes from the region. This unit has a few more months to get back to basics, dramatically improve its fundamentals and try to forget that last season ever occurred.

The Schedule: Give the Tar Heels credit for taking on two interesting Power 5 non-conference games. Played in Charlotte, the South Carolina game will feel like a home game, but it’s still South Carolina, and while hosting Illinois won’t be like playing Ohio State, but it’s still a Big Ten game.
– However, playing two FCS games against NC A&T and Delaware still doesn’t look all that great.
– Usually, you’d like the game at Georgia Tech after a week off, but the bye week comes after the game. However, UNC can use the Delaware game to tune-up.
– Going to NC State isn’t a horrible road trip for a team from Chapel Hill, but it’s still a road game at the end of the year coming off a key game at Virginia Tech.
– WATCH OUT FOR … A hot second-half run. After a week off, the Tar Heels get four home games in five weeks, and the road game is at Pitt. All five games are winnable, including the dates with Virginia, Duke and Miami.

Best Offensive Player: Senior QB Marquise Williams. Teams hoping to compete in the ACC better be set behind center. It’s one area of the depth chart that the Tar Heels do not have a problem. Williams staved off Mitch Trubisky, and then played for a time like the league’s premier all-around signal-caller. Williams slumped down the stretch, largely to exhaustion, but his blend of athleticism, arm strength and leadership gives Carolina a shot in every game. With a full complement of seasoned weapons surrounding him, he could deliver one of the most prolific seasons by a quarterback in school history.

Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Jeff Schoettmer. There’s not much the Tar Heel D can count upon these days. Schoettmer is a valuable exception, especially in a year that the program is employing more linebackers. From the middle of the second level, he’s the quarterback of the entire D, leading by example. Schoettmer rarely misses assignments, wraps up in space and will once again rank among the team leader in tackles. The former walk-on is primed to make an All-ACC run after building a sound reputation the past two seasons.

Key players to a successful season: The defensive linemen. Progress hinges squarely on the D, and no single individual will get this beleaguered unit moving in the right direction on his own. Instead, the Tar Heels will require a collaboration, beginning with more of a push at the line of scrimmage. The good news is that the front four has considerable potential. DE Dajuan Drennon and DT Nazair Jones played quality minutes as rookies, and four-star DE Jalen Dalton already has a spring session behind him. Carolina needs to get back to being the program that sent at least one D-lineman to the NFL every year.

The season will be a success if … the Tar Heels get back to winning eight games. It hasn’t happened the last two seasons, which is why the entire staff begins 2015 facing added pressure. The schedule will be demanding, especially down the stretch, when Duke, Miami, Virginia Tech and NC State will be faced in November. But Carolina boasts a coach in his fourth year, one of the league’s better quarterbacks and improvement on the defensive staff. If that’s not enough to make a two-game ascension from 2013, go ahead and chalk it up as the latest disappointment in Chapel Hill.

Key game: Nov. 28 vs. NC State. The Heels and the Pack always matter, regardless of the sport or the season. But this matchup to close the regular season will be especially important for Carolina head coach Larry Fedora, because he doesn’t want to lose any more traction to Dave Doeren. Doeren turned around State late last year, including a 35-7 spanking of the Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium. Carolina would love nothing more than to return the favor at Carter-Finley in this season’s edition of the longstanding rivalry.

2014 Fun Stats:
– Points per game: North Carolina 33.2 – Opponents 39.0
– Time of possession: North Carolina 25:28 – Opponents 34:32
– Yards per play: North Carolina 5.6 – Opponents 6.5

Players You Need To Know

1. QB Marquise Williams, Sr.
Where would the defensively-challenged Heels have been last year without Williams, a one-man gang at times in Chapel Hill? There were pockets of inconsistency, sure. But Williams’ dual-threat ability gave fits to defenses all season long, allowing him to fend off the challenge of Mitch Trubisky. The 6-2, 220-pound Williams was named Second Team All-ACC for leading Carolina with 788 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, while completing 270-of-428 passes for 3,068 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

2. WR Ryan Switzer, Jr.
Switzer is one of the most lethal punt returners in the country. He’s a pretty valuable wide receiver, too. In 2013, he evolved unexpectedly into a special teams superstar, using his speed, patience and sharp cuts to tie a single-season NCAA record with five punt returns for touchdowns. With punters doing everything possible to keep the ball out of Switzer’s hands in 2014, the offense used him more liberally. The 5-10, 185-pound playmaker caught a team-high 61 passes for 757 yards and four touchdowns, proving his playmaking ability knows no boundaries.

3. OG Landon Turner, Sr.
Turner is the leader of a Carolina line returning all of last year’s starters. He’s become a fixture at right guard for the Heels, starting 28 career games, and only missing East Carolina and Clemson because of injury in 2014. The blue-chip recruit from the 2011 class has emerged into a 6-4, 325-pound knockdown specialist, earning Third Team All-ACC last season. If Turner continues to improve his footwork and his pass protection, he’ll be one of the first guards selected in the 2016 NFL Draft.

4. WR Quinshad Davis, Sr.
This is a critical year for Davis, a salary run opportunity for a receiver coming off his worst season in Chapel Hill. Not only did his production slant south to 41 receptions for 470 yards and six touchdowns, but he suffered a fractured right leg in the Quick Lane Bowl. He’ll be back for the summer, needing one more touchdown reception to break Carolina’s career mark. Davis has mismatch measurables at 6-4 and 210 pounds, with the wingspan, long gait and work-ethic to rebound from 2014.

5. WR Mack Hollins, Jr.
Hollins has taken the road less travelled to prominence in Chapel Hill. But now that the former walk-on is here, he’ll continue to outwork everyone in the quest for more touches. Hollins has come a long way in a short period of time, coming seemingly out of nowhere to earn honorable mention All-ACC in 2014 with 35 receptions for 613 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns receptions. At 6-4 and 210 pounds, with long arms and big mitts, he schools defensive backs on 50-50 balls.

6. LB Jeff Schoettmer, Sr.
As defensive upstarts go, Schoettmer has been one of Carolina’s biggest the past two years. The one-time walk-on from Dallas has risen up the depth chart at middle linebacker to start 24 games since the start of 2013. Now 6-2 and 235 pounds, Schoettmer is strong enough to defend the run, yet is vastly underrated as a pass defender when dropping back into coverage. He’s ranked second on the team in tackles two years running, making 74 stops, six tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions in 2014.

7. RB T.J. Logan, Jr.
Logan is one of the Heels’ most versatile offensive weapons, and he’ll continue to be used accordingly by Larry Fedora and the staff. The quintessential all-purpose player led Carolina backs with 582 yards and three touchdowns on 119 carries, caught 26 passes for 144 yards and averaged 25.3 yards per kickoff return. Logan is a 5-10, 185-pound cutback runner, with the moves and the blazing straight-line speed that warrant more touches in space in 2015.

8. CB Brian Walker, Jr.
Carolina’s poor pass defense warrants an asterisk reserved for Walker, who played at a higher level than his teammates did in 2014. In fact, despite being lumped in with the nation’s 117th-ranked pass efficiency defense, he still managed to be named honorable mention All-ACC after making 38 tackles, three interceptions and five pass breakups. Now, the 5-11, 185-pound Walker needs to set an even better example this year, but he has the skill set to continue evolving as a pass defender in 2015.

9. DT Nazair Jones, Soph.
Jones didn’t start in his debut season. It didn’t matter. He was still able to establish himself as one of the defensive building blocks of the future. Jones packed on 30 pounds to 6-5 and 300 pounds during the offseason, yet still managed to flash his disruptive tendencies. He chipped in with 35 tackles, 7.5 stops for loss, 2.5 sacks, four pass breakups and an interception. New defensive coordinator Gene Chizik covets disruptive tackles, so he’ll appreciate No. 90.

10. DE Dajuan Drennon, Soph.
Drennon is one of the young Tar Heels that new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik will be counting on to incite an erratic pass rush this season. As a rookie in 2014, he started every game, but was only able to produce 36 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and a pair of sacks. Still, the coaching staff is confident that its 6-4, 250-pounder has enough speed—and now enough qualify reps—to markedly ramp up his production in Year 2.