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North Carolina student-athletes are under investigation by NCAA officials, though it is unclear which sport or sports in UNC’s athletic program are involved.

UNC athletics director Dick Baddour confirmed this in a press release from the school, but he declined to name which of the Tar Heels’ 28 different teams it concerns.

“I can acknowledge that representatives from the NCAA have been to Chapel Hill to speak with some of our student-athletes,” Baddour said. “However, they have instructed us to maintain the confidence of this review by not discussing it publicly. We have cooperated fully with the NCAA and will continue to do so.”

But while Baddour was unable to confirm where the investigation is focused, InsideCarolina.com reported that at least some of those student-athletes are a part of the football program and that the probe does not concern academics.

No details about the severity of the investigation or the estimated length of it were made available by the school.

UNC head coach Butch Davis did not make a statement Thursday

ESPN.com’s Joe Schad reported on Twitter that the NCAA interviewed UNC players, including star defensive tackle Marvin Austin, about contact with agents and possible gifts or extra benefits. Inside Carolina reported late Thursday that wide receiver Greg Little also was among those interviewed.

Schad also reported that the NCAA asked for phone records from players to prove which agents they had spoken to and inquired about who was paying for their rent.

“One person said the questions from the NCAA to UNC players were intended to 'make sure no Reggie Bush stuff is going on,’ ” Schad tweeted.

The Southern Cal football program was banned from the postseason for two years and stripped of 30 scholarships in June because of improper benefits given to Bush.

If the NCAA is indeed investigating the Tar Heels’ football program, it would be another blow this week to the momentum created for it during the Butch Davis era.

Starting middle linebacker Quan Sturdivant was cited for possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana on July 11 and faces disciplinary action.

North Carolina returns all but two members of its highly regarded defense, which ranked No. 6 nationally in yards allowed per game in 2009.

UNC is expected to be in the top 25 of every major college football poll to open the season, and its first game of the year will be in the national spotlight against LSU in Atlanta.

The Tar Heels have posted back-to-back 8-5 seasons. Also of note, the chair of the NCAA infractions committee is former Miami athletics director Paul Dee, who hired Davis at Miami in 1995.

Contact David Reynolds at 373-7016 or david.reynolds@news-record.com