2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

The 2016 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Larry Fedora and played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The Tar Heels competed as a member of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Sun Bowl where they lost to Stanford.

Recruiting
National Signing Day was on February 3, 2016 and was the first chance for high school seniors to officially declare which university or college they will be attending for their college career. North Carolina had 26 high school seniors sign a National Letter of Intent to play football with them. Of the class, 7 athletes enrolled early to UNC.

^These signees will not be enrolling at UNC in 2016 due to not being admitted into the school.

Schedule

 * Schedule Source:

Personnel
North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora enters his fifth year as the North Carolina's head coach for the 2016 season. At the end of the 2015 season, assistant head coach, Seth Littrell, was hired as the head coach at North Texas. As a result, co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Chris Kapilovic, was promoted to offensive coordinator, and will retain his role as offensive line coach. Former Tar Heel player, Chad Scott, was hired to replace Littrell as the tight ends/hybrids coach.