The North Carolina Tar Heels football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the North Carolina Tar Heels football program in various categories.[1] [2] These categories include passing , rushing , receiving , total offense , all-purpose yardage , defensive stats, and kicking . Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Tar Heels represent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the NCAA 's Atlantic Coast Conference .
Although North Carolina began competing in intercollegiate football in 1888,[1] the school's official record generally does not include statistics from before the 1940s, as records from earlier years are often incomplete and inconsistent.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1940s, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[3]
These lists are updated through North Carolina's game against Duke on November 11, 2023 . Note that the NCAA does not officially recognize statistics for Hakeem Nicks and Deunta Williams , who were implicated in the scandal that caused the Tar Heels to retroactively forfeit all wins in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. However, the full stats of these players are listed in the school's media guide,[4] and also here. The NCAA continues to recognize statistics from those seasons amassed by players who were not implicated in the scandal.
Passing [ edit ]
Passing yards [ edit ]
Career
Rank
Player
Yards
Years
1
Sam Howell
10,283[5]
2019 2020 2021
2
T. J. Yates
9,377
2007 2008 2009 2010
3
Darian Durant
8,755
2001 2002 2003 2004
4
Bryn Renner
8,221
2010 2011 2012 2013
5
Drake Maye
8,018[6]
2021 2022 2023
6
Marquise Williams
7,965
2012 2013 2014 2015
7
Ronald Curry
4,987
1998 1999 2000 2001
8
Mitch Trubisky
4,752[7]
2014 2015 2016
9
Jason Stanicek
4,683
1991 1992 1993 1994
10
Mike Thomas
4,368
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Single season
Rank
Player
Yards
Year
1
Drake Maye
4,321[6]
2022
2
Mitch Trubisky
3,748
2016
3
Sam Howell
3,641[5]
2019
4
Drake Maye
3,608
2023
5
Sam Howell
3,586[5]
2020
6
T. J. Yates
3,418
2010
7
Bryn Renner
3,356
2012
8
Bryn Renner
3,086
2011
9
Marquise Williams
3,072
2015
10
Marquise Williams
3,068
2014
Passing touchdowns [ edit ]
Rushing [ edit ]
Rushing yards [ edit ]
Career
Rank
Player
Yards
Years
1
Amos Lawrence
4,391
1977 1978 1979 1980
2
Mike Voight
3,971
1973 1974 1975 1976
3
Leon Johnson
3,693
1993 1994 1995 1996
4
Michael Carter
3,403
2017 2018 2019 2020
5
Kelvin Bryant
3,267
1979 1980 1981 1982
6
Don McCauley
3,172
1968 1969 1970
7
Ethan Horton
3,074
1981 1982 1983 1984
8
Natrone Means
3,074
1990 1991 1992
9
Charlie Justice
2,634
1946 1947 1948 1949
10
Elijah Hood
2,580[22]
2014 2015 2016
Single season
Rank
Player
Yards
Year
1
Don McCauley
1,720
1970
2
Omarion Hampton
1,504[23]
2023
3
Elijah Hood
1,463
2015
4
Mike Voight
1,407
1976
5
Giovani Bernard
1,253
2011
6
Mike Voight
1,250
1975
Derrick Fenner
1,250
1986
8
Ethan Horton
1,247
1984
9
Michael Carter
1,245
2020
10
Giovani Bernard
1,228
2012
Rushing touchdowns [ edit ]
Receiving [ edit ]
Receptions [ edit ]
Receiving yards [ edit ]
Career
Rank
Player
Yards
Years
1
Ryan Switzer
2,907[26]
2013 2014 2015 2016
2
Hakeem Nicks
2,840
2006 2007 2008
3
Quinshad Davis
2,614
2012 2013 2014 2015
4
Josh Downs
2,483
2020 2021 2022
5
Corey Holliday
2,447
1990 1991 1992 1993
6
Dazz Newsome
2,435
2017 2018 2019 2020
7
Octavus Barnes
2,398
1994 1995 1996 1997
8
Dyami Brown
2,306[38]
2018 2019 2020
9
Sam Aiken
2,205
1999 2000 2001 2002
10
Dwight Jones
2,163
2008 2009 2010 2011
Receiving touchdowns [ edit ]
Single game
Rank
Player
TDs
Years
Opponent
1
Chesley Borders
4
2002
Arizona State
Total offense [ edit ]
Total offense is the sum of passing and rushing statistics. It does not include receiving or returns.[44]
Total offense yards [ edit ]
Career
Rank
Player
Yards
Years
1
Sam Howell
11,292 [5]
2019 2020 2021
2
Marquise Williams
10,423
2012 2013 2014 2015
3
Darian Durant
9,630
2001 2002 2003 2004
4
Drake Maye
9,227 [6]
2021 2022 2023
5
T. J. Yates
9,044
2007 2008 2009 2010
6
Bryn Renner
8,128
2010 2011 2012 2013
7
Ronald Curry
6,236
1998 1999 2000 2001
8
Jason Stanicek
5,497
1991 1992 1993 1994
9
Mitch Trubisky
5,191 [7]
2014 2015 2016
10
Mike Thomas
4,653
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Single season
Rank
Player
Yards
Year
1
Drake Maye
5,019 [6]
2022
2
Drake Maye
4,057
2023
3
Mitch Trubisky
4,056 [7]
2016
4
Marquise Williams
4,020
2015
5
Sam Howell
3,884 [5]
2021
6
Marquise Williams
3,856
2014
7
Sam Howell
3,732 [5]
2020
8
Sam Howell
3,676 [5]
2019
9
Bryn Renner
3,394
2012
10
T. J. Yates
3,341
2010
Touchdowns responsible for [ edit ]
In official NCAA records, "touchdowns responsible for" includes rushing and passing touchdowns, but not receptions or returns—the same statistical categories used to measure total offense.[49]
All-purpose yardage [ edit ]
All-purpose yardage is the sum of all yards credited to a player who is in possession of the ball. It includes rushing, receiving, and returns, but does not include passing.[50]
North Carolina's media guide fully lists career and single-season leaders in all-purpose yards, but does not break down their performances by type of play. It only lists the single-game leader, but does fully break down his performance.
Career
Rank
Player
Yards
Years
1
Leon Johnson
5,828
1993 1994 1995 1996
2
Don McCauley
5,014
1968 1969 1970
3
Amos Lawrence
4,928
1977 1978 1979 1980
4
T. J. Logan
4,926
2013 2014 2015 2016
5
Brandon Tate
4,744
2005 2006 2007 2008
6
Michael Carter
4,710
2017 2018 2019 2020
7
Charlie Justice
4,670
1946 1947 1948 1949
8
Mike Voight
4,472
1973 1974 1975 1976
9
Eric Blount
4,391
1988 1989 1990 1991
10
Ryan Switzer
4,135
2013 2014 2015 2016
Single season
Rank
Player
Yards
Year
1
Don McCauley
2,021
1970
2
Giovani Bernard
1,981
2012
3
Leon Johnson
1,832
1996
4
Don McCauley
1,770
1969
5
Brandon Tate
1,765
2007
6
Omarion Hampton
1,726[23]
2023
7
James Betterson
1,647
1974
8
Giovani Bernard
1,615
2011
9
T. J. Logan
1,584
2016
10
Charlie Justice
1,557
1946
Single game
Rank
Player
Yards
Years
Opponent
1
Brandon Tate
397
2009
McNeese State
Defense [ edit ]
Interceptions [ edit ]
Single game
Rank
Player
Ints
Years
Opponent
1
Don Jackson
4
1935
Tennessee
Tackles [ edit ]
Career
Rank
Player
Tackles
Years
1
not listed in media guide
Kicking [ edit ]
Field goals made [ edit ]
Single game
Rank
Player
FGs
Years
Opponent
1
Josh McGee
6
1999
Duke
Noah Burnette
6
2023
Duke
References [ edit ]
^ a b "2016 North Carolina Tar Heels Media Guide" (PDF) . GoHeels.com . Retrieved 2016-08-20 .
^ "2019 Carolina Football Media Guide" (PDF) . North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved November 3, 2019 .
^ "NCAA changes policy on football stats" . ESPN.com . AP. 2002-08-28. Retrieved 2016-08-20 .
^ Hinton, Matt. "Ex-Tar Heel Hakeem Nicks guilty of academic fraud during final season at UNC" . CBS Sports. Retrieved 2012-07-20 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Sam Howell" . ESPN.com . Retrieved December 12, 2020 .
^ a b c d e f g h "Drake Maye Stats" . ESPN . Retrieved December 29, 2022 .
^ a b c d e "Mitch Trubisky" . ESPN.com . Retrieved 2017-01-14 .
^ a b c d "Wake Forest vs. North Carolina Box Score" . ESPN.com . November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020 .
^ a b "Williams, Tar Heels dominate rival Blue Devils 66-31" . ESPN.com . 2015-11-07.
^ a b c d "Trubisky, Tar Heels rally past Panthers 37-36 in ACC opener" . ESPN.com . 2016-09-24.
^ a b c "North Carolina vs. Virginia Box Score" . ESPN.com . October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020 .
^ a b "UNC overcomes No. 24 Florida State despite bad punt" . ESPN.com . 2010-11-06.
^ a b "North Carolina wins home opener, beats James Madison 56-27" . ESPN.com . 2016-09-17.
^ "Louisville blasts North Carolina early, holds on late to earn win" . ESPN.com . 2012-09-15.
^ "Bryn Renner tosses school-record 5 TDs, lifts North Carolina" . ESPN.com . 2012-11-24.
^ a b "Tar Heels score 80 points in rout of Old Dominion" . ESPN.com . 2013-11-23.
^ "North Carolina vs. Virginia Tech Box Score" . espn.com . October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019 .
^ a b "Virginia v. North Carolina Box Score" . espn.com . September 18, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021 .
^ "Florida A&M vs. North Carolina Box Score" . espn.com . August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022 .
^ "Notre Dame vs. North Carolina Box Score" . ESPN.com . September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022 .
^ a b c "Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina Box Score" . ESPN.com . October 29, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022 .
^ a b "Elijah Hood" . ESPN.com . Retrieved 2017-01-14 .
^ a b c "Omarion Hampton" . ESPN.com .
^ "Gio Bernard's career-best 262 rushing yards propel North Carolina" . ESPN.com . 2012-10-06.
^ a b "Javonte Williams Stats" .
^ a b c d "Ryan Switzer" . ESPN.com . Retrieved 2017-01-14 .
^ a b c "Dazz Newsome" . ESPN.com .
^ "Bryn Renner, Quinshad Davis help Heels dash Cavs' bowl hopes" . ESPN.com . 2012-11-15.
^ "North Carolina vs. Virginia - Box Score" . ESPN.com . Retrieved November 8, 2022 .
^ "North Carolina vs Minnesota -Box Score" . ESPN.com . Retrieved September 17, 2023 .
^ "UNC snaps No. 12 Florida State's 22-game home win streak" . ESPN.com . 2016-10-01.
^ "Samuels, Dayes help NC State knock off Tar Heels 28-21" . ESPN.com . 2016-11-25.
^ "North Carolina holds on to win 7th straight over Duke" . ESPN.com . 2010-11-27.
^ "Miami vs. North Carolina Box Score" . ESPN.com . October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021 .
^ "North Carolina vs. Wake Forest Box Score" . ESPN.com . November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022 .
^ "Clemson vs. North Carolina Box Score" . ESPN.com . December 3, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022 .
^ "Virginia vs. North Carolina Box Score" . ESPN.com . October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023 .
^ a b c d e f "Dyami Brown" . ESPN.com .
^ "No. 21 LSU holds off furious rally from short-handed UNC" . ESPN.com . 2010-09-04.
^ "White (332 yards) caps WVU career with fourth bowl victory" . ESPN.com . 2008-12-27.
^ "Virginia vs. North Carolina Box Score" . ESPN.com . November 2, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019 .
^ "No. 10 Miami escapes UNC on late Dallas Crawford TD run" . ESPN.com . 2013-10-17.
^ "Mack Hollins" . ESPN.com . Retrieved 2017-01-14 .
^ "2022 Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF) . NCAA. p. 9. Retrieved November 14, 2022 .
^ "North Carolina vs. Wake Forest Box Score" . ESPN.com . November 12, 2022.
^ "North Carolina edges Georgia Tech 48-43" . ESPN.com . 2014-10-18.
^ "Georgia State vs. North Carolina" . ESPN.com . September 11, 2021.
^ "North Carolina vs. Duke Box Score" . ESPN.com . October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022 .
^ "2022 Football Bowl Subdivision Records" (PDF) . NCAA. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2022 .
^ "Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Record Book" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association. August 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2008-01-03 .
^ "Tomon Fox" . ESPN.com .
^ "North Carolina edges Pitt 34-27 behind Switzer" . ESPN.com . 2013-11-16.
^ "Nick Weiler" . ESPN.com . Retrieved 2017-01-14 .
^ a b "Noah Burnette" . ESPN.com .
^ "Noah Ruggles" . ESPN.com .
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