North Carolina is ripping up Kenan Stadium's grass and will replace it with AstroTurf.
The Heels' natural surface looked great -- I ranked it the No. 4 field design in college football back in 2013 -- but a synthetic surface will allow UNC to use the field year-round without impacting the field's quality.
"Installing synthetic grass at Kenan Stadium not only is the best option for our football team and football game days – it also benefits our other varsity programs that may want to use Kenan as a conditioning space,'' Tar Heels AD Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "With 28 teams and more than 800 student-athletes, we are always looking for ways to create multi-use spaces, and installing synthetic grass at Kenan does that."
North Carolina will go with AstroTurf's RootZone 3D3 Blend. Installation will begin May 12, after spring graduation ceremonies are complete, and is scheduled to conclude in the middle of July, well in time for training camp.
"I think this is a positive addition for not only our football program, but the athletics department as a whole," Mack Brown said. "This will make the facility more versatile and give us a number of options for workouts and practices."
North Carolina will become the sixth ACC program to play on an artificial surface, joining Boston College, Louisville, Syracuse and Wake Forest.