7 Best North Carolina Tar Heels Football Players

The North Carolina Tar Heels have won eight conference titles since the program began in 1888. 

Today, you can bet on their NCAAF odds weekly at the BetMGM online sportsbook. 

Before diving into their football lines, check out my list of the top seven Tar Heels to suit up. 

7 Best North Carolina Tar Heels Football Players

1. Charlie Justice

Justice played for North Carolina in the mid-to-late 1940s. 

He earned numerous accolades there, including consensus All-American, first-team All-American, two-time second-team All-Ameircan, and four-time first-team All-SoCon nods. 

On top of that, he finished second in the Heisman voting in 1948 and 1949. 

Over his career, he had 2,634 rushing yards (10th), 28 rushing touchdowns (10th), 53 total touchdowns (seventh), and 4,670 all-purpose yards (seventh), 

The program retired his No. 22, and he’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

2. Julius Peppers

Peppers was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, but before that, he played at North Carolina from 1998 to 2001. 

He redshirted in 1998. 

While there, he won the Chuck Bednarik and Lombardi Award and the Bill Willis Trophy. He was a unanimous All-American, second-team All-American, and two-time first-team All-ACC. 

Peppers recorded 30.5 sacks (second) over his career. Greg Ellis has 32.5 sacks ahead of him, but he was at the school for four seasons. 

Peppers holds the single-game sack record with four in 2001. 

North Carolina retired his No. 49, and he’s enshrined in the North Carolina Sports and College Football Hall of Fame. 

3. Lawrence Taylor

Before going on to have a legendary NFL career, Taylor played at North Carolina from 1978 to 1980. 

He posted 21 sacks (sixth) and holds the single-season sack record with 16 in 1980. 

In his final season, he was a unanimous All-American, ACC Player of the Year, and first-team All-ACC. 

North Carolina retired his No. 98. 

4. Amos Lawrence

Lawrence played at North Carolina from 1977 to 1980.

To this day, he holds the school rushing record with 4,391 yards. 

No other player has gone over 4,000 yards. 

He was the ACC Rookie of the Year and two-time first-team All-ACC, and the school retired his No. 20. 

5. Don McCauley

Another Tar Heels running back, McCauley was a consensus All-American, two-time ACC Player of the Year, and two-time first-team All-ACC over his time at North Carolina from 1968 to 1970. 

He recorded 5,014 all-purpose yards, second-most in school history. 

In 1970, he had 2,021 all-purpose yards, 1,720 rushing yards, and 19 rushing touchdowns. These are all single-season records. He also finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

The school retired his No. 23, and he’s enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. 

6. Jeff Saturday

Playing center, Saturday was a two-time first-team All-ACC. He was a team captain in 1996 and 1997. In addition to the two-time first-team All-ACC nods, he was an Academic All-ACC pick in 1997. 

7. Chris Hanburger

The talent Hanburger possessed was on display at North Carolina from 1962 to 1964 before he went on to have a Pro Football Hall of Fame career in the NFL. 

At North Carolina, he was a two-time first-team All-ACC. Not only did he play linebacker, but he also played center. In fact, he earned the first-team All-ACC honours for his center play.