Mack Brown emphasizes the importance of North Carolina achieving goals in 2023

The North Carolina Tar Heels have some lofty goals and expectations for the upcoming 2023 season. And recently, head coach Mack Brown took some time to emphasize the importance of his Tar Heels squad achieving those goals next season.

“Spring practice recap; the positive takeaway is just what I said, it’s a business-like team. We didn’t have up-and-down practices. They were ready to practice every day. They practiced hard. When you start looking at the goals, they haven’t really changed around here for four years,” said Brown.

“What I’ve talked a lot to the staff about this spring is, having goals is important, but committing to those goals and accomplishing those goals is more important. And we haven’t done that. We haven’t run the ball well for the last two years. We haven’t stopped the run well for the last two years. But we’ve got to do those things, just fundamental parts of being a good football team before we can make progress. So let’s quit talking about the goals. We’ve committed to them, but we haven’t accomplished them.

Brown has said consistently during the offseason that he wants the Tar Heels to improve off of their solid 2022 campaign. North Carolina started off the year hot but went ice cold down the stretch losing their last four games of the season to finish the year 9-5. Brown does not want a repeat of last year and expects his team to climb to new heights. On the short list of goals for North Carolina to achieve is to become the top dogs of the ACC this year, winning the conference championship.

Brown reveals North Carolina’s goals over the summer

In order for UNC to achieve their goals, they have to accomplish some goals over the summer. And recently, Brown revealed what objectives the Tar Heels set out to accomplish before the start of the season.

“Summer workout goals; it’s, again, to prepare for that first four games, to have more toughness, to stop the run, to be in great shape, to try to develop two deep,” said Brown. “All of those things are things that are important. Leadership is so important year-round, but it’s even more important in the summer because we can’t be out there. They have player-led practices. They’ve gotta coach the guys. And they know who’s out too late and they know who’s not eating properly and they know if somebody’s got bad habits.

“So leadership over the summer, year-round, is really important. But you have more time in the summer, and it’s a really, really important part of their progress.”

North Carolina’s first four games out of the gate will not be walk-in-the-park games against teams they can look past. North Carolina opens the season against a neighboring rival in the SEC’s South Carolina. A matchup against an in-state rival, Appalachian State, will follow that game up. And to round out their first four games, North Carolina will take on the Big Ten’s Minnesota, followed by a trip to Pennsylvania to take on the Pitt Panthers.