Will Larry Fedora survive the season with player suspensions?
After player suspensions announced on Monday, North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora is firmly on the hot seat.
Football is a secondary citizen to men’s basketball at the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels have had some measure of success under Larry Fedora though, with a 40-25 record and four bowl appearances over his first five seasons. But a 3-9 mark in 2017 has him on the hot seat a bit heading into his seventh season.
On Monday, North Carolina self-reported that 13 football players sold team-issued shoes which were not available to the general public. It’s a secondary NCAA violation, but all 13 players have been suspended for up to four games of the coming season.
One of the players who will sit out four games, and the most prominent suspended player, is presumed starting quarterback Chazz Surrant. Given some position overlap among the other 12 suspended players, the NCAA is allowing the Tar Heels to stagger the bans to protect the health and depth of the roster.
North Carolina announces 13 players will miss games in 2018 due to NCAA violations. pic.twitter.com/pd47PcMKg9
— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) August 6, 2018
Due in large part to the loss of experience and talent, with injuries as another big factor last year, the Tar Heels have gone from 11 to eight to three wins over the last three seasons. Five of last year’s nine losses were by eight points or less including three blown fourth quarter leads and being outscored 210-139 in the second half of games overall.
At ACC Media Days, Fedora questioned the link between football and CTE while suggesting changes to the game could lead to an erosion of American society. Those words are not a fireable offense, but as the face of North Carolina’s football program it’s not a good look to offer publicly.
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Just finishing games better may bring a couple more wins for the Tar Heels this year, and getting back to a bowl would quell the speculation about Fedora’s future. But off the field things have turned up the heat on his seat now, to the point he may not survive the season if things go off the rails as roster depth gets tested without 13 players.