University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: What's Next For Highly-Praised Receiving Corps
July 1, 2020 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Ever since he arrived at North Carolina in the summer of 2017, Beau Corrales says he's felt as if he's been a part of the best wide receiving corps in the country.
In the three years since then, the Tar Heels' receivers have shown glimpses of being a formidable group. They've also sometimes struggled with inconsistencies. But as Corrales enters his senior season, he's no longer alone in his long-held belief, as his unit has been praised all offseason as being one of the nation's best, if not the best.
"The way we've always worked around each other and knowing the stuff we've gone through just to get to this moment where people are actually starting to talk about us, it feels good and gives you some confidence," said Corrales during a videoconference with reporters last week. "But we've been saying we're at that top spot for a long time.
"The numbers definitely didn't show when they needed to, but we're starting to get to where we want to be and people are starting to take notice."
As they certainly should.
After helping Sam Howell to one of the best seasons ever by a true freshman quarterback, the starting trio of Dyami Brown, Corrales and Dazz Newsome returns after tallying 61.5 percent of UNC's receptions, 70.7 percent of its receiving yards and 71.8 of its receiving touchdowns in 2019. Carolina also brings back eight other players who caught a pass last season. So, it comes as no surprise that the Tar Heels boast the highest percentage of returning receptions (95.5) among Power 5 programs heading into 2020.
As much hype as there is around the entire receiving unit, Brown and Newsome draw most of the headlines. That's understandable after they became the fourth and fifth players in program history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards, as well as the first pair of teammates.
A rising junior, Brown emerged as a dangerous downfield threat in 2019, catching 51 passes for 1,034 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was one of only four FBS receivers to post 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 20 yards per catch. The other three were Oklahoma's CeeDee Lamb, the 17th overall pick in April's NFL Draft; LSU's Ja'Marr Chase, considered by most outlets as the top receiver in the 2021 draft class; and Minnesota's Rashod Bateman.
While Brown excelled on the outside, Newsome did all of his damage in the slot. The rising senior finished with 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns on 72 slot receptions, the most among returning Power 5 receivers, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He proved to be especially reliable late in games, leading the ACC in fourth-quarter receiving yards (363) and first downs (19). He also tied Brown for first in the league in fourth-quarter touchdown catches (4).
Now, almost a year removed from their breakout seasons, Brown and Newsome are looking to build off their success. That, however, isn't what Lonnie Galloway is telling them to do.
"That's all in the past," said UNC's second-year receivers coach. "Now, we've got to rewrite it. After the season, we'll see what happens. They're both hungry and willing to compete, and they all want to have that opportunity to go to the next level. But it's what they do from now on, not what they did in the past. I will say in each game we play – the 12 games we've got, if we get to play all 12 – (the opponent) will know where those two are on the field."
It'll figure to know where Corrales is at, as well, especially in the red zone.
Of Corrales' career-high six touchdown receptions last season, four came inside the opponent's 20-yard line. Overall, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder hauled in 40 passes for 575 yards after recording 27 catches for 363 yards through his first two seasons.
Although Brown, Corrales and Newsome each played 630 offensive snaps or more last season and the rest of Carolina's receivers combined for 667, Toe Groves and Antoine Green had sizable roles, playing 284 and 243 snaps, respectively, according to PFF.
Groves ranked fourth on the team in catches (27) and receiving yards (250) in 2019. No grab of his, however, was more memorable than his 20-yard reception on fourth-and-17 during the Tar Heels' game-winning touchdown drive against Miami. That play alone illustrates the sort of trust Howell and the coaches have in the veteran.
Green had his moments, as well, catching eight passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns in his return from a gruesome knee injury he sustained as a freshman. But after another lower-body injury forced him to miss three games in 2019, Phil Longo said the coaching staff "emphatically" told the former four-star prospect he needed to get stronger this offseason.
By all accounts, Green has.
"He looks great," Galloway said. "He's 6-foot-3. I think he's 210, somewhere in there. The thing for him is you're a very, very skilled football player and the injury he had two years ago, sort of dealing with getting over that and getting himself back. When Antoine was playing two years ago, they were talking about Antoine; they weren't talking about Dyami.
"So, the level, the skill set, is there. Mentally, that's the part we talk to him the most. You have to be mentally prepared to go out, and he seems to be."
Emery Simmons faced a similar mental hurdle as a true freshman last season, registering four receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown while playing 83 offensive snaps, according to PFF. Now, he seems primed for a larger role.
"Emery came in and the thing that he does is he comes in and does everything you ask him to do," Galloway said. "He enrolled early. The thing for me was building confidence that when he goes into the game he will know exactly what to do. I don't care how talented you are, we have to trust you that when you get out there on the field there's not going to be a drop-off.
"I've told him, and Coach Longo and I have spoken, Emery is a kid who we've got to get on the field."
Some people might wonder how UNC will do that, with Simmons playing the same position as Brown. Galloway and Longo are adamant, however, that Brown, Corrales and Newsome each play about 65-70 snaps each game so they're fresh in the fourth quarter.
Carolina should have enough quality depth to implement that strategy with the returns of Green, Groves, Simmons and redshirt freshmen Khafre Brown and Justin Olson as well as the additions of incoming freshmen Tylee Craft, Josh Downs, Stephen Gosnell and Ray Rose. And while that could go a long way in helping their unit reach its immense potential, the Tar Heels' receivers know they'll only be as good as they can be if they stay as hungry as they are.
"There were definitely times when we were here previous years when we didn't receive any kind of hype and all we could do was put our heads down and work," Corrales said. "We're kind of at the point now where we are starting to get some love and some hype, but it's the same kind of situation. Whether it's good noise or bad noise coming from people talking about us, you've got to block it out. Nothing is going to happen unless we put the work in to make it actually happen."
Players Mentioned
