it'll be a work in progress but I think he's got the form to develop more of the kind of stretch game that ups his value down the road
So I'm guessing Shaw has UNC as the the new favorite, considering every school he visits is his favorite. Just wait until he visits UGA, again.
Athlon Sports has some anonymous coach quotes about all the ACC schools. Folks pretty complimentary of us: Full article: https://athlonsports.com/college-fo...lk-anonymously-about-conference-foes-for-2021
i think we will be fine but did laugh at "The entire offense is back except for a few backs and maybe one WR?" which really undersells what we lost both in quality and in the wr department, quantity
Hah yeah I noticed that too. Using that commentary as a spring board, I think between Downs/Khafre/Corrales/Simmons we at least have some experience and talent coming back at WR. RB is the big wild card to me, especially given that we lost Gillespie to Alabama. I've watched some clips of Chandler at UT and he looks solid but certainly a step below Williams/Carter.
Agreed. Additionally I think our defense will take a bigger step forward than our offense will regress.
yeah a dominating OL cures all, still have to prove they can do it against a strong DL but it's hard not to feel optimistic about next man up with our skill positions given the size and experience up front plus Sam and all that of course
Friend who is a Clemson fan is saying similar things based on their private site. UNC has made a good push and is viewing it as a bit of a coinflip going into the decision.
basically a composite of player interviews discussing guys that have stood out so far: Spoiler CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- North Carolina had its first training camp day of full pads on Tuesday, bringing a different level of intensity and physicality to the field. The Tar Heels have now practiced six days and took Wednesday off before returning to action on Thursday. UNC is entering the dog days of preseason training camp. Everyone is tired, hot, and ready to hit someone other than their teammates. After each practice session, UNC has made players or coaches available for interviews. Below are notes and takeaways after speaking with numerous players ... WIDE RECEIVERS - Josh Downs does not foresee any drop off in the offense this season. "Even though Dyami and Dazz left, I don't think we are going to take any step back, our offense is going to be high-powered just like it was last year," Downs said confidently. "Our running backs are looking good. Our wide receivers are looking good and you know Sam Howell is going to be the Heisman." - Downs points to the Orange Bowl against Texas A&M as a moment when his "confidence soared tremendously" and when he realized he could be a playmaker at the college level. "It snapped in my head that I can really do this," Downs said. - Senior defensive back Trey Morrison said that Downs is the one UNC wide receiver standing out to him the most. "He's confident and comfortable on the field and his routes are really good. I think he is going to have a really big season this year. He is a great player," Morrison said. - Justin Olson was mentioned by multiple players as a wide receiver poised for a breakout season. "One that is not getting enough praise is Justin Olson," Downs said. "He is a guy who comes in every day and makes great plays. He is working. Justin is going to be a great player, he is making plays every day. Emery Simmons is a very consistent guy." - Downs also mentioned Stephen Gosnell and Khafre Brown. - Asked who are going to be the major deep threats this season, Downs mentioned Olson and Simmons. - When safety Gio Biggers was asked about breakout wide receivers, Olson's name came up again. "Josh Downs is electric, he is going to have a great year this year. Another player that I think is standing out is Stephen Gosnell and Justin Olson. Those are two guys who I think are going to have a great year," Biggers said. RUNNING BACKS -"I really like the potential of D.J. Jones and Caleb Hood," super senior tight end Garrett Walston said when asked about standout players on offense. "The whole running back room feeds off each other. They push each other and that started with Mike (Carter) and Javonte (Williams). Hendo (Josh Henderson) is primarily special teams, but he has great speed, great agility. Any three of those guys can make big steps this year..." - More on Hood from Walston: "Caleb Hood is a very hard-working... thick back. I have never seen him fall on the ground... It's like pinball... Real thick in the lower half and just seems to bounce off people and he has surprisingly great in-line speed." OFFENSIVE LINE & MISCELLANEOUS - Sophomore left tackle Asim Richards has been impressed with junior William Barnes and believes he will play a bigger role this season. "(Barnes) is one of my favorite cases because I appreciate how much he has worked and it is showing on the field. I think he is going to have a big role this year," Richards said. - Richards said that Barnes "can play multiple positions at guard and tackle." - A good quote from Garrett Walston on the 2021 team and part of the reason why he chose to come back for another season: "I think this team can be one of the more special teams in Carolina history. We are taking great strides year in and year out with Coach Brown. The defense is looking so much better than last year. We have a ton of depth. It is just something I couldn't miss out on." DEFENSIVE LINE - Senior defensive lineman Raymond Vohasek said he has focused on improving his transition from run defense to pass defense. He is also becoming more of a vocal leader on the defensive line, which is a new role for him. He is helping the young players in the film room and learning the nuances of defensive line technique. - As expected there has been a lot of discussion on the depth of the defensive line. Vohasek said it will help cut down on his snap numbers and allow himself and Tomari Fox to rotate out, which will help UNC's overall pass rush. "It feels good knowing you can play a good solid five, six, seven, eight plays and know that you don't have to play the entire game, that is a great feeling," UNC sophomore defensive lineman Myles Murphy said. "You can come out and everyone can have the same amount of reps. It's a good feeling." - Vohasek named dropped K.J. Hester and Kristian Varner as two players who have made huge strides this offseason. "They are big and physical and can play inside," Vohasek said. -"Jahvaree Ritzie and Keeshawn Silver are coming along. They are both genetically very blessed and they have a lot of tools and we are just trying to help them come along and get ready," Vohasek added. - Vohasek said there are not huge gaps anymore in terms of the ability and readiness of the defensive line personnel. "We are trying to have a one band, one sound mentality," he said. - Myles Murphy is playing primarily at defensive tackle in Jay Bateman's three-down lineman front. "But I can play any spot on the defensive line," Murphy said. - "Everybody knows he's coming," Vohasek said about Murphy. "He's established himself as a starting defensive lineman and I think he won't be just a starter, he is going to be a guy who can make plays for us and make big impact plays for us." - Murphy said when he got to UNC he didn't know how to squat properly. Since, strength coach Brian Hess and his staff have helped him increase his squat numbers by 200 pounds. "I am squatting like 515, when I came in I was squatting like 325," Murphy said. "When we do inside run and go against the offensive line and you can just knock the O-line back and feel good and get off and make a play -- that's a wonderful feeling." - Tomari Fox is 100 percent healthy. He used the time off (shoulder injury) to get his lower body stronger to withstand a full season in the trenches. He said in the last few months he has focused on flexibility and mobility and getting comfortable with football movements. - Sophomore outside linebacker Desmond Evans said that his focus has been on getting his pads low, getting off the ball, and his hand work. He said that working with the defensive line helps him stay low. - Asked about his weight gain (he is up 25 pounds since he arrived at UNC, from 240 pounds to 265 pounds), Evans said he simply eats three meals a day, two snacks during the night, and eats water and fruit. DEFENSIVE BACKS - Trey Morrison is working primarily at free safety, Ja'Qurious Conley is playing bandit (boundary) safety, and Gio Biggers is playing free and bandit safety. - Morrison on Biggers: "He is making a big impact on our defense now. He knows the playbook. He is getting everybody lined up. He is going to be a great addition to our defense... His physicality is there now. He has caught up to the speed of the game." - Morrison said that sophomore cornerback Tony Grimes now has the confidence where he can showcase his game: "Tony has a lot of skill. Tony can do everything... I am ready to see what he can do this year."
Good article on ESPN about Grimes: https://www.espn.com/college-footba...y-grimes-how-high-school-senior-found-fit-unc
finally got the chance to read that in its entirety, and holy hell he's impressive, funny/awesome thing is in years past he'd be the focal point when it comes to things that excite you about the defense, but right now in the secondary alone you've got two other cb's just as good and an absolute specimen of a boundary safety in Conley that all fit in that same category now it's nothing new for me to be almost unrealistically optimistic about defensive improvement every August, but I've just got a strong quiet confidence about we'll see out there this year, I genuinely like what we have at every position, I don't think people realize how much better this defense got when we inserted the freshmen against Wake, finishing with three strong outings against ND/Miami/A&M (but obviously getting worn down against ND/A&M), the Miami/A&M games in particular were the most disruptive showings we've had since the Butch days /ic post
think the best way to describe the change post-Wake is the defense went from being a group that was sometimes ok at stopping you sometimes terrible, but always feeling like it was on the back foot (aka the entirety of Fedora's run), to a defense capable of getting downhill flashing the kind of athleticism and physicality we haven't seen in a long, long time, while also holding three strong teams in check before lack of depth became apparent
guessing we end up around 90% which is great. hopefully we can reach 100% but just being at 85% is huge from a competitive perspective (to say nothing of public health)
Nice. Hoping for one of Edmonds/Hood to step up and be the 1a/1b along with Chandler. This might be the most excited I've been for the start of a CFB season since the LSU opener under Butch.
i keep joking about leaving my wife with the newborn so my tech buddy and i can go and she keeps saying no. not sure if i can wear her down in the next few weeks
it lives up to the hype imo fans are really nice and its a fun town and great atmosphere enjoyed the 2015 clincher there and didnt enjoy the 59-7 loss two years later i've really had a great run of tech games. went to the OT win, the hurricane game, the 59-7 one and the one where mike carter fumbled at the goal line about to put the game away
SURPRISE! not gonna lie though even knowing the result my heart still fluttered when he reached for that UGA hat first
pretty touching moment before the commitment btw, broke down into tears talking about his family/coaches
having listened to a ton of player/coach interviews the past couple weeks because I dunno why not, it seems like our top four receivers at the moment are Downs, Green, Simmons, and Olsen, every time I've heard Khafre's name brought up it's been something along the lines of "he's still working his way back to being fully healthy," think Beau's in a similar boat
the word out of camp is that he has made that step, I'm definitely in I'll believe it when I see it mode though
so many Timmys the way he's able to get to the perimeter is just mind blowing, this is soph year film btw
I didn't realize our game against GT this year is in the Falcons stadium instead of Bobby Dodd. That's cool I guess.
it's the Atlanta United stadium get it right or pay the price have to imagine the UNC fan base will be well represented there, relatively speaking at least
Beau's officially out Friday and there's a rumor he needs another surgical procedure, guy can't catch a break
Damn. Any of the freshmen or redshirt freshman getting any buzz at all? The Ray Rose, JJ Jones, Gavin Blackwell group?
think guys like Jones and Blackwell have gotten the "they're gonna be very good" kind of talk abut nothing about being ready out the gates, Emory Simmons is the guy stepping in Beau's spot though and he's gotten a ton of buzz, thought he really flashed last year during his limited opportunities too depth chart's out btw and through the roughest part of camp we seem to be relatively unscathed