The Panthers have made numerous changes over the past season such as getting a brand new coaching staff and quarterback. The Panthers hired Frank Reich to be the new head coach and rebuild this team. The Panthers have not had a winning season or made the playoffs since 2017 and have not won a playoff game since 2015.

They had a very eventful off-season that started with trading their star wide receiver, DJ Moore, and future draft capital to acquire the number one overall pick. They used a pick to take their franchise quarterback, Bryce Young, who played for The University of Alabama. They also signed big names like Miles Sanders from the Philadelphia Eagles and Adam Thielen from the Minnesota Vikings.

The Blue and Gold spoke with anonymous Panthers fans in the student body to see how the public is feeling about the upcoming season.

“One of the biggest changes in the offseason was the coaching staff,” one student said, “I think the offensive play calling will be improved with Mcadoo gone. Unsure how all the coaches will do in their first year.” Another big area of excitement for this season is the incoming draft class for the Panthers. The same student stated, “I think our first two picks of Young and Mingo were good picks. I think we took some stretches in the later rounds.”

A different response was given by another student who stated, “The Panthers have built a phenomenal crew compared to the last couple of years, and this all stems from Frank Reich. Reich is a great coach and the perfect fit for a young QB like Bryce Young. Thomas Brown rules the offensive side of coaching with a strong run-game presence, and the defensive side is stacked with veteran coaches and players like Deangelo Hall. This should be a great year for the players, as they have fantastic coaching.”

The Panthers are also thought to have had a strong free-agent signing period last year with some big names. Most students were very excited about the free agent class.

One student, when asked about the class said, “I think we had a great free agency. First, we signed Andy Dalton for a veteran QB to mentor Bryce and I think he is the best backup in the league. Next is DJ Chark, he is a younger WR who is a deep threat, and also wide receiver Adam Thielen, an older wide receiver who is a good target for Young.

Another anonymous student mentioned, “we signed Hayden Hurst at tight end and I think that was a great signing because he will be a short threat for Bryce. We signed Miles Sanders at running back, and I think he is a great replacement for McCaffrey. Finally, we signed Justin Houston who is an older veteran who will be a great asset to the team.”

No one really knows how Bryce Young will do because he is a rookie, and usually rookie quarterbacks struggle in their first year, but some think that Young will be different.
A student stated, “I don’t expect anything special his first year, especially with our offensive line and first-year coaches. I think he’ll throw for around 3,500 yards, 15 tds and 6 picks.”

This would be a solid first year all things considered. However, this is still a pretty mild expectation compared to other students.

One said, “I expect Bryce Young to have a great rookie campaign. I expect him to start right away and to be the best rookie in the class. I understand that he will make mistakes like some interceptions. I believe that he will learn from those mistakes and grow. I hope Bryce is with us for a long time and maybe can be in the conversation for the best QB in Carolina ever.”

These expectations are a bit more lofty, but there is definitely a range of expectations among the students. Overall expectations for this season vary quite a bit:

The first student said, “I think the Panthers will lose in the wild card and go 8-9.”

Another student said, “6-10 season.”

Finally, “I expect us to have a better season than last year. I hope our record is 10-7. Some people might think that is way too high but I believe in us. We have a way better coaching staff than last year. We had one of the better drafts and free agencies. With all of the assets that we added, I believe that the Panthers will have a major improvement.”

There are definitely a lot of expectations for the upcoming Panthers season, and it will be interesting to see how the season goes and if the Carmel fans’ predictions are correct.