UNC Football Fall Camp Underway | Position Battles: Conner Harrell vs. Max Johnson | Day in the Life

fall Camp is underway for the Tar Heels and the question we're all wondering is it going to be Connor harrold or Max Johnson you are locked on Tar Heels your daily podcast on the UNC Tar Heels part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hey there what's up it's Tuesday August 6 2024 welcome into the locked on tar Hills podcast the only daily North Carolina show out there I'm your host Isaac Shay joined today by our guy Doris Cersei and you're joining us at the place to get your Tar Heels content every single day part of the locked on podcast Network thanks for making us your first listen or watch and we want to send a special shout out to all the every dayers out there and all the members of the locked on tar Hills Discord Community this episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more in the dog days of summer the sports stops sportsing like we want them to but this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long visit fanduel.com to get started coming up on the show today we're going to talk about how we're right in the midst of fall camp for the Tar Heels we're going to talk about position battles what those look like we're going to just talk about like a day in the life of Camp what it looks like the ups and the downs and then going to ask cerse to share some of his memories from camps because obviously there's a bunch of them rattling around in that that brain up there also sir I wanted to ask you this right off the top it it we're in the midst of the Olympics right now I'm an Olympics geek I just watch as much as I can and I think the next Summer Olympics in La there's G to be flag football here's my question to you could you get out there and do it still you know four years from now when we're like What 43 44 would you have that in you uh well in four years i' be four 40 where if it's the Summer Olympics I'd be 39 I want turn 40 to after Olympics so yeah it's just hey man it's Flag Football that's like seven on seven I don't have to run that far I don't have to tackle nobody I just got to pull the flag I the ball thrown to me just catch it I'm on defense I get a chance to get an interception I get an interception yeah all right let's get okay outside of that what is your favorite uh Summer Olympic sport to dive in on what are you what are you watching right now during the Olympics course basketball um swimming I like watching um I don't I don't watch gymnastics like that but I watch like I watch like the weird stuff stuff you don't see every day on TV like I watch World Polo yes that's tough right I watch indoor volleyball um soccer I definitely watch soccer men's and women um that's of course tracking field you got to see you got to see the sprinters in action and whatnot so those those my top I love it man yeah I'm right with you let let's get into all that that fun stuff okay sir let's talk football here I think the thing that at least outside looking in the thing that people are most curious about this fall Camp is this Connor Herold or Max Johnson conversation and we I want to talk about position battles specifically that one but then kind of in general and so I I think as we look at it the question is Harold or Johnson or maybe some combination of both for ma Brown this year both were at ACC kickoff a couple weeks ago representing the tar Hills and so I I'm curious to you as you think about this how do you see that playing out I know you and I have talked about that that sum already this offseason but just where are you kind of at with it today um I still I still believe it's a good chance we may see Conor harrold U he may be on a uh short rope just to see how he go how things goes um because I said Max Max Johnson got he got more experience than Conor of course played in a few games and then he started the bowl game with Drake sitting out and whatnot but then also you got Jobe Chiswell chrisw is just transferred back so he's a guy that he's a guy that can can fit in if if those two don't paying out so we have a we have a three-headed horse race right now because it ain't like jacobe is is brand new he's been in he's been here before so he's just coming he's coming back which I thought was pretty interesting because he transferred away but he he chose to come back so that's that could have tfy the QB room as well yeah and I mean let's remember two years ago this time jobi and Drake took it all the way down to gameweek for game one before Coach Brown named Drake ultimately the starter I mean do you see any world in which barring injury knock on wood um that jacobe could supplant other of those two guys it's possible like like I was there to witness him and Drake May competing every day and practice and um is whoever whoever's able to stay consistent and whoever could uh build that trust with the coach and then whoever is teammates they can see who can lead the team and at that position because that's the most important part you know your QB is your franchise that's why everybody everybody tries to find that one guy you know what I'm saying so so it's it's gonna be pretty interesting to see uh the thing thing about it that the College college football has that NFL don't has is preseason so it like it like you get a couple of games before you get into actual season to see who your quarterback's going to be so I'm thinking I'm thinking I'm thinking caror but it's it's gonna be a close race though yeah and and even without you know there's no preseason games and this team's jumping right into the fire heading up to Minnesota it's not like you ease in with like you know like a FCS school or anything like that it's like you got to be ready right out of the gate with this thing and so that's going to be interesting right but again it's good to have have three guys with some experience that's right that you sit you're going straight into um a proven opponent I mean Minnesota's not no not no slou they may not be as you know as as strong as Ohio State Michigan in their conference but they're still they can still put up numbers let me ask you this torus how much you know I think outside looking in it it's hard for us to know how how much in these position battles just even in general is how do you balance like Hey we're supporting one another like I think back to the ACC kickoff when both Max Johnson and Connor Herold were talking about like hey you know we're we're supporting each other we're in this together we're learning from each other versus this is my position I'm g go out and take this because I'm that guy H how do you balance that well um it's about having confidence in yourself I mean yes you want to support the the next guy you you understand I know from my point of view I I understood like we're both here so to to compete for a job we're both here to compete for a spot uh eventually my end game was to get to the NFL so I knew like the more I could prove to the coaches that I could be trusted yes I want the I want the guy behind me or who I'm competing with to do good as well just in case like you said baring injury I don't want to I don't want to let the team down I want to be weak in no position but still at at the end of the day you want to you want to be out on the field you want to prove yourself you so most of these guys like I like I was they want to get to the next level which is the National Football League so the more you could be seen on film the better and chances you get drafted so yeah you want you want to support you want to support your teammate but at the end of the day we're fighting for position yeah how like from from other players on the team is it is it feeling neck and neck typically or is it pretty obvious and apparent who's leading the way in position battles like let's go back to the Drake and Jacobi battle two years ago like was it pretty obvious to others looking at it that it was going to be Drake or or was it hard to know uh well for me it was kind of obvious because certain throws um certain throws on routes Drake was making all the throws some some of the routes uh Jobe was missing or it' be because you know they run the same play so so you may come in for the first rack of six they gonna rack it because it's a new group so they want to see who can deliver who can be who could be consistent every every uh every uh rep that they take and then at that time that position that position battle it was Drake so that's why leading up in the camp coaches with Drake and you see how that turned out so I believe I believe that's how that's how it goes who could who can be the most consistent who can continue to get better each and every day because now that you're in Camp kids it's all about football you know what I'm saying ain't nobody else on campus but them and the squirrel so all football no classes right now so it's it's about it's about honing in on your craft and getting better every day what level of it is the guy like who handles the pressure of that position battle better cuz I know like I like I I think back to high school and I'm battling a dude for the starting center field position or something and it's like it's like I know some guys can let the mental side of that get to them instead of just going out and playing so how how is it like is some level of it the guy who handles the mental side of it more capably than the other absolutely because it's pressure involved especially when you're the quarterback everybody sees you you touch the ball eight you touch the ball every play unless it's maybe a trick play you know Philly something but going to test you're going to hand The Rock 98% of the time so whoever shows that confidence whoever uh who could block out the mental and just like I said keep being consistent and get better and who can earn you know the trust of the coach and the command of the team as the leader that's that's what gonna win the job Dorris outside of the quarterback battle which I think is is the most public the one that most of the public has their eyes on are there any other like under the radar position battles you're kind of keeping your eye on during fall camp specifically for the tar Hills uh I would say the the inside backer job left by said now Amari is a pretty dope player he's uh he made strides he did he did good when he started started it against Oregon but they want to but since he's young they want to know can he continue to be consistent and then there's there's guys behind him that could play as well so um I know they they feel pretty good about him because he already gained his experience he didn't he didn't register his freshman year he played on special teams um at times when we had blowout big leagues he got in and got some got some reps and then he made plays in the bowl game when he got in replacement a said um so I would say I would say long as he keeps showing Improvement and he keeps showing his growth his ability to keep making plays he'll be starting starting linebacker beside power EOS and that could be another dynamic duo at that linebacking Corp for the tar Hills excited to see that this year really excited for power to get to step up and and kind of be the leader of that unit absolutely and you want to see who's going to replace power this could be po last year that's absolutely correct and you got to be able to work that in so you want to see who could be able to fill in and play next to uh Amari once power leades because that's all the is is just reloading yeah man reload let's not have to rebuild now we want to get inside of Doris's mind what's it like to experience fall Camp the ups and the downs and I'm also curious to ask who is typically ahead the offense or the defense we'll get to all that coming up in just a second right after I tell you about eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what 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great show over at locked on Golden Gophers now Dorris would you as we just think about fall Camp just take us through a typical day and uh man would would just love to hear what it's like going through that grind gotta uh so typically that's about a we should stay in the uh the dorms they come come on the hallways with this big loud fog horn to wake everybody up they blasted in everybody sweet you know um typically room with you know DBS all in one sections linebackers in one section receivers running backs everybody you know you share room and whatnot um so man it's it's it's a grind you get up around about about 6 6:30 you eat breakfast first meeting is probably at 8 7 or 8 8:30 you got meet you got me meetings um I hated those days man like I hated I hated the meetings I love the days when we just get up and go straight to practice like just let me go get tape and go to practice and we can meet after practice but I so I I love those days when I can just get up and just go go straight and play football um but you had yeah has team meeting at a team meeting special teams meeting then you got offensive defensive meetings oh my God then you probably then you then you head out to practice you know after practice you pract about two hours come back in for lunch may have like a three hour break then your back in meetings another team meetings another special teams meeting another offensive defensive meeting you may have individual meetings and depends on what all you cover that day at practice uh typically I have coaches that they want to see every cutup because they want to coach every kid that's in there so so rather you on the first team third or fourth team we're gonna watch everybody's cups because you know he wants to go over um everybody's technique and um and just and just everybody be coached so you typically get done around about 10:00 check bed check is probably like 11 after day then six 6 AM fog hard again I like you gotta go at it I used because I didn't have to go no I got to go like I said I have to go to class I can just hang with the boys kick nonsense go go play football just only focus on football and and try to just get better man like try to find my way on the field stay on the field you know uh that was that's a typical day uh but I know when I was there we used to have two days so sometimes we used to practice in the morning and then practice in the morning like 7:30 and then we'll probably practice that eating around about around about 78 o'clock which was cool because you know be out on the practice field or in the stum and they cut the lights on and whatnot that's F so simulate the atmosphere a little bit you know minus uh the the fans and whatnot but it was it was typ it it was fun to me I I enjoyed the grind I didn't want to do I didn't want to be nowhere else I mean I knew I was at home I want to go be doing anything so there with the guys man just just getting to know guys and hanging out man that's what that's how you build team camaraderie because you're there all day with each other like I said it's just us in the squirrels cafeteria people that's it and the coaches that you put that time in you put that time in and try to get better try to push towards winning a championship so that's I just love it in a year like this where the tar Hills are working in a new coordinator specifically Jeff Collins on the defensive side how how different is that to kind of learn who he's going to be and what's he's going to do I know you know he was already there for spring camp for spring football so there was already that side of it but how different is it working in a new coordinator in in a fall Camp scenario um well they already kind of got um open to them in doing the Spring ball so you know it's it's just fine tuning um they may not have put that many plays in during the spring just let him get accustomed to just a few but I believe that since since it's in Fall Camp he's going to open up the whole Playbook because they got more time to learn like they got more time to learn you got more time to teach guys guys don't have to go to like I said guys don't have to go to class it's just it's just all football for two weeks it's just all football so it's it's kind of it's kind of like being in the NFL because you just you just work towards that that goal so I believe he would probably add more see what the guys can handle um see who fits better where because then after after about a couple weeks then you got to start put together the roster in the depth chart who's going to play where who fits who fits where who's going to be able to contribute speaking of working in with new people cers I know we've got a bunch of guys that are early enroles that that come in the spring semester and they're able to participate in Spring football but then there's a whole crop of of freshmen that come in in the summer and this is their first time joining the team man just how hard is it for them to get caught up to speed with everybody else um um yeah it could be tough I mean I was a summer I was some summer but um like I said the best the best thing they have going they did a little summer school but then they got to jump right into football so um that's when I was able to catch up able to learn um I had a I realized I had a long way to go because I didn't even understand what like Personnel groups was you know what I'm saying so I didn't I didn't understand the different you know the grammars and and the words terminologies and whatnot so it was it was it was a big big adjustment for me but I was able to like take it slow I had like good good older guys good uh that that was able to like help me out bring me up to speed um my freshman year my roommate was uh Deontay Williams who who already had a good Gras on the uh Playbook so I was able to go over stuff with him at night because it may be questions I was kind of nervous to ask in the because we had we had we had Chuck Magano man and he was he was a former NFL coach so he was he was tough for me those first couple days at practice cuz he wanted me to he wanted me to get it he wanted me to learn but I wasn't learning it fast enough for him and then I had to go and like actually sit and talk to him like like coach this the first time I'm hearing any of this like that I was never taught these terminologies and and formations and things of that nature in high school like I was just pretty much a guy that give me the ball and get get out the way you know what I'm saying or oh yeah get on defensive play linebacker just chase the ball that's all I did you know what I'm saying so so so he he understood so we would meet we would meet at night at I would stay behind at at um at the individual meetings and learn with him and then I'll also get more um Insight from Deontay when I got back to the dorm room so that allowed me to catch up and things start to slow down for me better you know what I'm saying because it wasn't it wasn't the speed it wasn't the speed of guys on the field that I had trouble with when I came in during the summer it was it was it was taking the terminology from the from the book and putting it on the field and being able to communicate it you know what I'm saying so that was that was my big adjustment but by after the first week I was I was good to go I I was I was making making plays I was making calls sometimes I still make the wrong call but I make a call you know what I'm saying like because what they Co forado said like somebody just make a call if we all wrong we're right and I was like what did that mean he said he was like even if somebody make the wrong call if we all play it with right you know what I'm saying so I was like cool like you know so so it was it was it was it was great to have him a former NFL coach as my as my first first year defensive coordinator because I got to learn so much so that's that's I would say that's the biggest adjustment um but you know today's game a lot of kids already know these terminologies and things of that nature coming into college um so they just may have to some of the termin may be worded different from them because it may come from high school where um a certain phrase May mean something in their defense in high school but it don't mean the same thing in this defense in college so that's the only thing they have to uh be open to and understand but the high school schemes are Advanced enough now where it's not learning a bunch of that it's just flipping the words and yeah right so like when I was in high school like I would say six of my 10 opponents in the regular season ran ran Wing T so there's it's same same thing on formation unless we blowing them out then they gota try to open up and pass it you know what I'm saying and then like you know for the teams that run a traditional Pro style offense or spread offense you know and but even then it was just get to the ball so cers let me ask you this about fall Camp who is typically ahead earlier the offense or the defense like who gets up to speed more quickly I would say the offense because the offense their game plan they're they are their plays are typically uh designed to beat whatever defense we're in we have to play the defense and play technique fundamental and if we can make a play make a play on the ball but they typically the offens which I find I didn't find out until like my junior year uh from R riding the car with TJ yakes man he was like oh yeah we already know what y'all in we just gotta we just gotta beat we just gotta we just gota execute yeah right I be i s like what the hell like well that's whack you know what I'm saying because we we play guessing we get a defense and we react to the formations and whatnot but they know they know breaking the Huddle we're going to in this coverage we're GNA be in this you know what I'm saying now they have to read it we have to you know we have to be good at showing disguises because sometime we can still we can still fool the offense but but typically the offense offense has the upper hand going into Camp makes sense now our man cerse has been around a minute he's got a bunch of personal memories from Fall camps we're going to ask him to take us inside that head and share some of those memories and we'll do that coming up in just a second right after I tell you about FanDuel man I love sports obviously cerse loves sports and we never want them to stop but in these dog days of summer we get fewer games just typically major league baseball games which we love but thankfully right now there's also the Olympics going on but FanDuel here's the good news they let you keep the sports going whenever you want all you got to do is open up the app and dream up bets anytime you're in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day All Summer Long how about this a couple weeks ago cers and I took fanduels over under odds for Carolina's win total it's set at seven and a half we projected way up above that seven and a half wins if you want to get in on that action or anything else Carolina related or beyond go visit fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer FanDuel official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball we're going to wrap up our conversation about fall camp today just asking cers to share some personal memories with us so cerse I'm I'm just going to open it up and say man just tell us some stories man I got man I got plenty uh my I'll just touch you off when it's time to be done uh What uh one of my greatest uh moments I used to have in Camp he always like we the horse player in the locker room he'd be like DBS against receivers DBS like DB would to get every everybody like only time I I I didn't like wrestle in the locker room was with like kid Bernie go pick a fight with the D lineman and then and then he you know he he call us over to help and I used get mad I'm like bro three of the three of the D linan wrestle in high school and we F to go over here first off they outweigh us all and we FNA goad and pick a fight with so so man it was crazy Robert Quinn three time state champion he in there pining everybody pinned me man and like everybody was just mad at Kendrick that day because Kendrick was like we can't F like dude we can't fight them we got to be on the same team with the D line so that was that was one of the greatest that was that was that was one of the good memories of being in the in the uh locker room or weed a horse player sometime we used to like get it to it with the receivers I remember that's when I first found out how strong hakee Nicks was because um he um he was holding two two of the DBS in the headlock I'm like man he got man we got old men strength you know what I'm saying so just like being around the guys guys rapping in the in the players loung doing the breaks uh NCAA was still out so guys was uh playing playing NCAA in in the players lines doing breaks and whatnot just just just being around the guys this is my farest memory and I remember um one of the craziest another crazy thing that happened it was a hawk out there sitting on the one of the lights when we was out there practicing in in the morning and when we uh we got done it set it'll sit on the light it'll it'll fly off a circle around the field then they come sit back on another light and then like we so we was was looking at it cuz we knew we knew it was looking for something to eat and man it found something cuz we was we was coming back across the uh Stadium Drive to get to ke and and he swooped down past us and grabbed his squirrel and kept going it was it I only seen stuff like that on National Geographic you know what I'm saying so like it was crazy like but some of the guys had seen it before it was from the country so they was like man we see that all the time in the country and I was like well I'm I'm a city kid I don't see that I just see that on TV you know what I'm saying so it was it was was pretty cool but my but a lot of my Fest memory just came from just inter interacting with the guys man just being around guys from different different backgrounds um learning a new learning a new teammate every year because I was cool with everybody I just didn't hang out with one side of the ball I just hang out with the position group I hung out I hung out with the walk on I didn't matter long as you was you was my teammate you was my teammate you know I mean I treated I treated everybody the same so just that was a cool memory and then like every now and then Bush Davis would invite somebody from the um from the one of his former players from the NFL to come out so I think we had like Leon Leon Le came out to practice one time uh Marty shimer came out practice one time Stuart Scott rest in peace Stuart Scott came out practi one time that was crazy that was crazy me him um man it was just it was it was it was wild man then um one of the coaches got called out by one of our one of our linebacker coach got called by by one of the linebackers on the kickoff drill and the coach was like yeah I beat you down there and then we was at full P he was like you got full pass I beat you down there so they took out running they on the kickoff drill coach got coach got about 20 yards and pulled his [Laughter] hamstring and then and then one of my strength coaches was was chasing the guy like I think we started one morning practice we started like lacad dail um and I Str Co start yelling at folks and like one guy was like kind of like half assing it back to the line so TR Co like ran at him like like get him the hustle and when he ran at him to get him the hustle poow pulled his hair string he fa I was like oh my God it took everything get me not to laugh because I but man it was crazy it was crazy like the epic battles we used to have like we didn't have we didn't have too many fights because C uh if you get the fighting out there on the field whoever got into the fight was they was make you hold hands and take a lap around the whole field head he'll tell one of the cameramen to record it and then they'll play it in the team me later on that day so so that took out a lot of figh but um one-on ones was very competitive inside run was very competitive um certain drills like we would have we would have two minute drill was competitive if they if they scor we had we had gers if we got to stop offense had gastes or uh we always our goal our goal was to get three turnovers a day H three turnover that we had to get three turnovers a day no matter how we got them we if it's if you get a pick interception and and uh one-on-one that's a turnover you cause a fumble the inside run collision with a running back turnover so we we get three I go three three three a day the ball is the issue that was our that was our calling in as a whole defense the ball is the issue at the end of the day we want the ball so that always intensified it um of course P Davis said this live we used to go crazy because finally we get to uh we get to take some heads off you know yes uh first couple Day first couple days of practice you know receivers talking jump because we know everybody in Hell mat you know so they make a catch in traffic you like man we couldn't hit you and it be like I still would have CAU I still would have CAU we put we put the pad on it's gonna get different not as much chirping like we we wouldn't blast them blast but I I we'll throw a shoulder in there every now and then I know me and deont Dam show did we we throw a shoulder in there every now and then knock him on the ground just let him know just let him know we was there you know what I'm saying like if I if I hit you full speed you might have not would have caught that one but it was always competitive man it was all competitive we always da each other up after practice uh it was it was just good camaraderie and that's that's that's that's those are things like you miss when you're done yeah just just the locker room and when I got to NFL it was the same thing the guys in the NFL when they done we I say we miss two things uh locker room and PayDay you know what I'm saying so that's it you know so so I just had a blast uh um those are some of some of my fondest members I got I got more but all the as tired we got but I man it was it was crazy and I and I that that junior year when I found out TJ them knew our knew our defenses had the time I picked them off that that that training C too I told him I got him yeah it was a crazy play I had to I had to lay out I had I had CAU the ball I land it like on my stomach all the air came out of me I was out for like three plays and then I came worth it though worth it worth it absolutely it was worth it man I had I had a blast with those guys I would have I would have got up even though I couldn't breathe ran and just dropped the ball into TJ's hands and say I did well I didn't I didn't R to drop it in his hands when I when I when I landed and rolled I got up and like showed him I had it you know what I'm saying I went back down to a knee I said oh God what's that adrenaline War off you were done what oh that's incredible you guys great memories from Cersei it's funny in this day and age now even the college players can say they miss uh the locker room and PayDay what's up n thank you for that so uh you guys as we get now closer and closer to the season obviously we'll have lots more opportunities to talk with cers and we'll get towards game days and man it's gonna crank up a whole new level we can't wait so buckle up folks it is what is today August the 6 that means we are 23 days away from the first game that's hard to believe but it is coming all right you all if you haven't subscribed to the show please do so on audio and video help make sure you don't miss a second yes love that if you're not part of the locked on tar Hills Discord Community man you're missing out on a great time where we're having conversations literally all day long every day it's a great and safe place to be for Tar Hill fans and so we love to have you come it's free to join and the link is in the show notes I always say come for the Tar Heels stay for the community all right we want to say it's always a great day to be a tarel we'll be back with you tomorrow but until then peace peace [Music]