North Carolina adds NC Central, drops Liberty from 2024 football schedule

By Kevin Kelley -

The North Carolina Tar Heels have added a home game against the North Carolina Central Eagles in 2024, the school announced on Wednesday.

North Carolina will host North Carolina Central at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

Per North Carolina, the game was scheduled to “…serve as another opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary accomplishments of HBCUs and their football programs.”

The Tar Heels are scheduled to open the 2022 season against Florida A&M, also an HBCU, in Week Zero on Saturday, Aug. 27. The game was originally scheduled for Sept. 17, but was moved up “… in order to shine a spotlight on the proud history of HBCU schools and their football accomplishments.”

North Carolina was previously scheduled to host the Liberty Flames in 2024 (Oct. 19), but the game against North Carolina Central replaces that contest. Liberty, currently an FBS Independent, is moving to Conference USA in 2023 and has to cancel several games on their future football schedules.

The Tar Heels are scheduled to open the 2024 season on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, Aug. 31. Their fourth and final non-conference contest of the season is a home tilt against the James Madison Dukes on Sept 21.

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