College Football 2011: Predicting North Carolina's Offensive Depth Chart

The University of North Carolina football team will open their season up against James Madison on September 3rd. While many of the offensive questions have been answered, there are still some up in the air.

The biggest hole needing to be filled will be at quarterback. T.J. Yates has graduated and left the spot vacant. Whoever takes over at quarterback will have plenty of pressure to lead this offense.

A running back needs to emerge as well, as the team's leading returning rusher is wide receiver Jheranie Boyd, who rushed for 62 yards last season.

The quarterback and running back slots seemed to have been filled and will play a key role in the success of not only the offense, but the team as a whole. Here's what the depth chart will look like on September 3rd.

Quarterback: Bryn Renner

Bryn Renner looks to be the likely replacement for Yates. The 6'3", 195-pound sophomore has been said to have a stronger arm and is faster than Yates.

Renner's backups will likely be sophomore A.J. Blue and junior Braden Hanson.

Renner isn't going to be stepping into a lose-lose situation though. He will have plenty of talent surrounding him and should have success.

Renner will be the starter for the opener against James Madison.

Runnning Back: Ryan Houston

Ryan Houston sat out all of last season. He sat out of spring ball because of shoulder surgery, but he will be good to go for the season.

Houston is a big back at 6'2" and 245 pounds, and is a between-the-tackles kind of runner. He will gain tough yards, and will hopefully break the streak of years the Tar Heels have gone without a 1,000-yard rusher, which dates back to 1997.

Houston's backups will be freshman Giovani Bernard and junior Hunter Furr, but true freshman Travis Riley could also see some playing time.

H-Back: Christian Wilson

Christian Wilson is more like a tight end than he is an H-Back, but in North Carolina's offense, that's his position.

Wilson is 6'3" and 235 pounds, and will be entering his senior season. The only real problem is that there is no depth at this position. Wilson will be asked to man the position by himself, but at the same time, he will be seeing reps at tight end.

The fullbacks will be Devon Ramsay and Curtis Byrd.

Wide Receivers: Dwight Jones, Jheranie Boyd, Erik Highsmith and Sean Tapley

The wide receiver positions are locked down, and may just be one of the best units in the ACC. The returning starters are Dwight Jones and Erik Highsmith, but Jheranie Boyd and Sean Tapley will see plenty of balls thrown their way.

Jones is clearly the star of the squad after having 62 receptions for 946 yards and four touchdowns last season. Highsmith tallied 348 yards, Boyd added 310 and the two had three touchdowns each.

This will be the unit that will help the progression of new quarterback Bryn Renner.

Tight End: Nelson Hurst

Nelson Hurst will be the starting tight end come September 3rd, but the only problem is that the junior doesn't have a lot of playing time. Last season he had just one reception for two yards, so this may be a position that will require him to be more of a blocker.

Hurst's backup will be freshman Sean Fitzpatrick.

Offensive Tackles: James Hurst and Brennan Williams

The left side of the line will surely be the strong side, and it will be anchored by left tackle James Hurst. The 6'6", 290-pound sophomore will be entering his second season as the starting left tackle, and will be one of the best in the ACC.

On the right side, Brennan Williams will be the starter. Williams is a 6'7", 285-pound junior who will be entering his first season as a starter.

Hurst's backup will be senior Carl Gaskins, and Williams' backup will be freshman T.J. Leifheit.

Guards: Jonathan Cooper and Travis Bond

Left guard Jonathan Cooper is one of the best in the ACC. He will be entering his third year as a starter, and will make the left side of the line that much better.

Right guard Travis Bond will be entering his second year as a starter, and just like right tackle Brennan Williams, he will be asked to make the right side a strong unit to ensure a consistent offensive line.

Cooper's backup will be Nick Appel, and Bond's backup will be David Collins.

Center: Cam Holland

The center position will be manned by Cam Holland. The 6'2", 290-pound senior has been a fixture on the line since his redshirt sophomore season in 2009, when he started seven games. He started every game last season, and will look to anchor a line in need of consistency.

The right side of the line will be considered a weakness, but the left side will be a major strength. Holland will need to be the glue to keep the line together, and with his track record, he shouldn't have a problem.

Holland's backup will be Russell Bodine.