UNC Mack Brown Training Camp Midpoint | Inside Carolina Interviews

ready everybody everybody ready um we've had urgency and effort about every day I really like this team I like the way they worked um we've tried to explain to them you you've won the second post games in the ACC so you're close the thing we haven't done is we haven't finished and that's why people get frustrated it's why we get frustrated so we got to finish better and they understand that so mentally and physically they' got to bring it every day that's what we haven't done we played we beaten some teams that we were not as good as and we've lost to some teams that we were better than so they've got to bring it every day and that's what we've talked to them about in this Camp that's most important um and if you don't your average so many people can't do that and it's hard to bring your mind and your physicality every day uh especially when you're tired you you've had 1011 days in practice and you're worn out in this heat and that's just a huge part of this we have been the really focused on turnovers we're not turning over the we're not forcing enough turnovers with our defense we've always taken care of the ball with our offense so it's hard but our defense has got to do a better job of turning over uh forcing turnovers uh same thing with explosives we looked at last year's explosives given up by the defense and most of them were um Mis deciples and that's when they're tired so that's why we're playing too deep a lot more people on the field and playing four safeties right now any of the four could be in the game at any time we've never been able to do that so um we're we're really working on our depth uh and we've got to create more explosives on offense you lose somebody like TZ wer you don't have the same speed outside so you got to work at at trying to create um explosives really working hard on penalties we've had too many penalties we've got the smartest kids in the league we got the best APR in the league we've been up in the penalties every year so that makes no sense so we' just told the guys that we will have absolutely no prap penties it's unacceptable if they have one we're taking them out and we're telling the guys there'll be absolutely no post twistle penalties if they do that they're running the lap and stand out the rest of the uh rack of plays as they go through so we're um and then we're penalizing we're we're doing physical uh drills for con consquences for guys that have holding penalties or or uh P interference penalties so those are usually what you have so we're actually taking another step for enforcement into those areas working really hard on the Red Zone we've been average on the Red Zone on offense we've been bad in the Red Zone on defense so every day we're working live on the Red Zone and and you saw it today it's uh that's what we did we had a Red Zone scrimmage here at the end so uh we've got to improve in that area and then we've always talked about diamond ating and special teams uh how do we finish stronger you you get more depth uh it helps morale it keeps people fresh and and you have fewer injuries and that's that's a huge part of what we've got to fix at the end of the year um we've hit more because we've got more depth and we're more physical right now in this Camp than we've been since we've been here because we can be uh we're already looking at who would be on the travel spot we ATT talk we will take about 80 guys to Minnesota so we're telling the got how do you get on that plane and what do you have to do to get on the plane um and we've got lots of competition it's really fun if if right now uh when you've got guys like uh Josh Harris and Travis Shaw and and um Kevin Hester and um you've got guys like uh Rucker and and uh Dez Evans getting after you the offense better come out here ready to play cuz they're going to get embarrassed if they don't and that that's uh that's something we haven't been able to do we've put a lot on the leadership committee this is an older team it's a it's an older mix with a lot of young guys that are going to play it's really a a unique um mixture of of what we've got but uh uh we've put a lot on these guys ask them to to handle all the discipline in their units and uh making sure that they call the guys out and help coach them on the field and they're they're doing a really good job in that area um scrimmage we we uh I felt like the defense dominated the scrimmage on Thursday and as it usually is yesterday we had a another type scrimmage and the offense dominated it so that's what we got to do we can't come out one day with one bunch and another day with the other we've got to get more consistent uh as we go through it and our game our our scrimmage the other night was at game time it was at 7:00 it was raining uh so we were lucky to get it in but it was great to have a scrimmage with rain and wind and all the things that can happen in a game that you you can't uh prepare for uh the last thing before I answer your questions is that it's really really helped us that the analyst in qc's can coach uh Tai McKenzie played nine years in the NFL and he coached eight and he's helping coach thigpin with the linebackers and and he's also helping coach special teams uh then you've got Nick Nome who was a coordinator at I think Gardner web but he worked with Jeff Collins at at Georgia Tech we got Jimmy Lindsay who was a defensive line coach at Illinois South Carolina and LSU uh so we got a lot of great guys that are stepping up to help Clyde Christensen has helped so much we got your best quarterback coaching the country coaching your quarterbacks along with chip but when Randy Clemens had to go to the hospital and and had to miss a week chip was able to go down and help with the offensive line Co Clyde could coach quarterbacks you got nron means that can help the running backs when Larry Porter's working with special teams uh and then you got guys like Caleb Pickrel and and Kyle Fuller who are are uh younger coaches that could actually coach the offensive line how Randy was gone and then we're so lucky to have Eric mey and Eric was the Special Teams coordinator at Washington State and at Mississippi State for Mike Leech and he has really been helpful with our special teams so we we've been able to be more organized and get more things done uh at one time and and and be more efficient questions how much closer are you with the quarterback situation how much Clarity have you gotten especially since you guys have gone pads we'll have a scrimmage on Saturday uh that will be a a really good scrimmage like the first one uh and then after that we'll start looking hard at at depth charts and Personnel more and more is it still going back and forth next it is all three of them are good enough that's a good thing now we got to figure out who's the one that gives us the best chance to win and and you've got differences in that U um Connor can throw in runs 44 he hadn't played very much Max has played 1,600 games and thrown 900 passes in the SEC and played against very tough competition in a in a tough league and Loud state and U jacobe is behind them simply because he wasn't here for the spring so right now it would be Max and and Connor competing at the highest level and jacobe uh coming on like you said the defense had a dominance showing in the scrimmage a lot of times you know starts up front you know in the chch is in that front seven how would you kind of uh describe the way the the front line defensively plays I'm I am so excited about our front seven we're we're thin at linebacker I mean that we've got to get get a a third and fourth fifth linebacker so that that's critical we've got some of that at each position but Josh Harris is brought energy he's brought uh maturity he's brought leadership uh and he has really excited those guys and and he is he has been a huge Plus for us inside and and he's helping all the others grow up and Ted monino is an amazing coach so uh I like what I see out of those guys right now and then you mentioned linebacker how how much closer are are you know some of those next guys I know you know short and L Val their names have kind of come up how much closer are those guys getting to you know being kind of in that rotation you've got uh short lavali you've got Ashton Woods you've got the law Brothers uh all that are competing for those two spots and what we're trying to do is is tell the coaches it needs to be the best players if you say well he can't play Mike he's got to play will I don't want that get the best guy out there and and cross teach cross train so that's what we're trying to do and that's why we're working those guys like in our goal line scrimmage today power didn't play uh he and Amari were out so we we had all those young ones just going and omari's young but he's he's more experienced than they are so uh we're we're trying to find the third and fourth Corner we've got four safeties I'm really excited about our safeties they they look really good and we can rotate them at any time and we are uh we've got three guys that that we think can play Star uh Caleb's ahead but the other two um Trey Miller and U Tashan um are both where they could play uh so I'm excited about them um and and then you've got a I'm Dez and and uh um camon Rucker Dez Evans and um Bo Atkinson have been dominant up front those three have been really good pass rushers and Dez has had his best two days the last two days that that I've seen since he's been here so hopefully they can keep growing our tackles have trouble blocking them we would absolutely have to chip if we played ourselves to to be able to protect m m you when the AC network was here you mentioned I guess the situation recently in practice some defensive leaders came to you and said this guy's not doing what he's supposed to do keep him out of the line of can you just explain that a little bit more what happened yeah we were there and Ted was starting to send a guy in and and um came Rucker was the one that said no no coach he's not doing what he's supposed to do don't put him in we don't trust him he's got to grow up then afterwards they all met with him and they all said you either start doing this be on time it wasn't awful things it be on time keep your mouth shut start studying The Playbook more and earn the right to get in there and I've never seen that so that was pretty cool MC you mentioned urgency off the top is bringing in a guy like Josh Harris on the defense who has been at two schools and this is his last year before potentially going Pro is he a part of that that movement absolutely it uh you look at Dez Evans Cayman Rucker him uh they're all at the end uh Richie's been sore some but when he's in there he's he's done really well Travis Shaw is doing a good job uh when you you get somebody like Josh that's leading the rest of them follow and and that's that's really been impressive to so he he has been a great addition for us you think about uh Kevin Hester um Travis Shaw and Josh Harris up front that's a lot of body there's some big big guys in there this a lot of B I was just going to say Ma how have you seen the guys respond to the emphasis on urgency and finishing in Camp that there were we're all over it with them because we're we have a thought of the day every day that we actually got from coach Smith 100 years ago that and and today was go back and look at your last 24 hours what' you do to prepare yourself for this practice did you sleep did you eat right did did you uh get in bed when you were supposed to did you not put anything in your mouth that you shouldn't put in there it's going to help you so what'd you do and if you didn't do that then you don't deserve to play and we also told them afterwards don't tell me you want to play every one of you want to play um but we're pressing you enough that you've got to show us you want to play and you've got to earn the right to play and then when you do uh it's in front of everybody cuz we're showing Clips every day to the team of guys who are doing well and if you're not those clips and obviously you haven't earned the right to play M along just along those lines that got me thinking about what last year one of the mantras was nine isn't enough that that you said like is there a mantra you put in place what I've told him this year is let's just play the best we can play every week and be the best team we can be let's don't get into numbers because we were better than eight last year uh until we weren't yeah and you're there's different levels of good enough we were talented enough but we didn't play hard enough all the time so that means you're not good enough and everybody says you were better than that we weren't I mean the big eye in the sky don't lie and the scoreboard tells you the the story and and that's what it is so so we haven't gotten the credit for what we have done and we haven't because we've lost three times to arrival and we've lost at the end of the year so we haven't near gotten the credit for being the second most productive team in the ACC that that would be a a great question on Jeopardy or somewhere cuz no get it at all we don't get credit for having the best grades in the league cuz nobody really cares uh they they they only care if they're bad they don't care if they're good and these kids have been incredible so I've told them you're so close step up and finish because our expectations are higher than others too cuz we've started well so that's on us that's on us but we're not into how many we're going to win we're not we're into doing the best we can do every game and I told them you're not going to play great all the time but we've got got to start winning games where we don't play well in and to do that you got to have high energy every game and you can do that running back room is a position like is maybe isn't getting talked about a ton this fall because how good Marion is how do you feel about the death behind that right now you got play Davon go you feeling pretty good with that position group you know behind him on yeah we are um Darwin Barlo was very talented he he just got here so he's still learn he got to protect better got to do make sure you hold on the ball and do the thing but he's very talented um Davon gos just amazes us with his maturity he's starting on four special teams he may be the best or second best pass protector out there as a f true freshman and he's got very good Vision he scored a couple of times today on on Red Zone uh so he's going to have a role and then U Caleb Hood's been so good he just staying healthy and right now he's healthy he he's he's playing and we're pushing him so all four of those guys have a chance to play so that room's really good you got willly at one guard is the other guard spot still a battle that madebe one of the better under the radar battles you guys have had in Camp yeah we're actually looking at uh uh Malik mcan's been playing there along with uh Aiden Banfield and we're also looking at the possibility of um jakai Leftwich who is the third tackle also playing some guard because we're trying to find the best 78 that we can get to rotate we talked to chip yesterday about a little bit about the scrimmage he said sometimes a guy looks good against the second team you get him in the scrimmage young guys they don't look as good against the first team Aiden bfield he passed that test the other night he is legitimately a guy that's picking on the field yeah what you've got to what you got to do is is you got to prepare yourself for a true freshman that would play against Minnesota in the first game he's ever played in on the road in a tough environment so uh that takes a lot of confidence so we're just going to keep working him he is going to play this year and he's going to be a really good player whether he starts against Minnesota or not we just determine what happens every day because we're we're actually hitting a lot every day and telling them we're moving you up and moving you down and he is he's going to be a good player M two years ago you sort of had a similar schedule set up to this year where you had four non-conference and then eight straight League games to the year and you said you were treating that as sort of a mini season and then sort of seeing where you are after that not to look too far ahead but are you treating this year sort of the same because you have the four and eight set up yeah the you you always want to win your conference Championship so what we've got is is that's we divide our season up every year into different parts uh so those first four games will be uh the start of the season for sure and then we'll stop we'll regroup we'll reevaluate everything and then start over uh at Duke on the scrimmage from the other night obviously I was pouring rain um did that limit you in any ways with the weather and also what were some what were some of your Topline things that you personally noted coming out of there guys who stood out or didn't stand out just what were some of your notes that you made well the the first thing we said if we could get out there without lightning we wanted to go because it's going to rain on us at some point during the season and we don't want to have an excuse that we were limited I mean that's excuses they they don't always play indoors so so you got to handle the elements so uh yes it was harder for the offense but that doesn't matter they've got to play in that weather it's harder for the punting punters and the kickers uh but they've got to play in that weather um but one thing it it it's really funny when you're as a head coach this time of year you stay frustrated because if your offense is not turning the ball over that means your defense is not forcing turnovers so I brag on the offense and jump on the defense it's harder unless you're scrimmaging live because in thud a lot of times we tell them stay up it's hard to strip the ball without pulling them down and don't hit the quarterback and a lot of times the quarterback disruption is is where turnovers come uh then we we've worked so hard on explosives the defense is giving up fewer explosives right now than they've given up since we've been here I really like what our secondaries doing uh Marcus Allen and and U uh Elijah huzzy are playing really well and then the four safeties I really like we're tackling better in space we're we're doing things that that we need to do better uh but then again bunch of the receivers have had a pull they've been hurt they've been sore so we had we have not had the continuity in our passing game that we want um and then that's harder to evaluate the quarterbacks when your receivers aren't all well so we're playing a group of different receivers at all times so we need to get somebody healthy uh so we can get out there the one that's been the healthiest and played the most consistent has been uh Nate McCullum which is really really good he and um um Bryson nesbot have been the two best at at that quote pass catching positions just going back to Cayman and him coming you and saying this player is not doing what he's supposed to can you just talk about with this preseason how he's developed as a leader and what you have seen him yeah he's a national honor student uh National Honor Society student out of high school he's uh he was undersized he has a chip on his shoulder every day CU everybody told him it was too little uh and I think that's a great Advantage for him on pass rush because he can dip his shoulder and get under our six eight tackles so that makes it harder for them uh but what you what you look for is who's going to be disruptive in game and he's disruptive every week he practices the same every day he works the same every day and there's absolutely no way one of those other younger kids can tell him leave me alone don't say that I mean they're going to listen cuz he and power Eckles are running this team and and on defense and that's that's a positive coach who are some of the young players that have surprised you with the performance th far Jeremy said you would ask did maybe not you specific so I put red dots next to him Aiden Banfield we're really excited about him and he will play I don't know when how much but he will play in the offensive line um and then jaki lewitz we haven't seen but he's 66 335 and he will play it as an alternate uh alternating tackle CU right now it would be those three or he will play as a a alternating guard but he's going to play a lot because he's a he is a really good player uh Darwin Barlo he and Davon Goss are are both going to be in the game and they're going to be playing um Bo Atkinson is is uh done an amazing job at pass rushing so that's really helped us uh Josh Harris we've talked about him he brought a huge impact to this team he he stands up at the end of practice and says things I had him as one of the guys breaking down the team at the end of the day because he works so hard and when you get a senior that's through and this is it and he wants to play in the NFL so he wants to help your team and make the NFL he's driven and he's driven every day he's already lost he was 350 when he got here uh he was 338 uh this morning so he is working so hard and I'm so proud of him and can't wait to watch him continue to grow uh we've got to get either Tyler Thompson or J Bron Harvey to to be able to to help Cayman Rooker uh we talked about the young linebackers uh you you've got Ashton Woods Michael Short Caleb lavali Cade LA and Cruz law all that are are fighting for spots uh so that's an area we've got to improve and it and after Saturday you get so you start looking at Minnesota so it needs to come this week and then we're really proud of all four safeties like I said and and uh jaen Harris is has really been a a good impact coming in and the other one would be Caleb cost and though those are guys that Tashan White's done some good things but Caleb cost plays like an older guy M you mentioned before but you played two quarterbacks at various stops before do you anticipate that may happen this year with Max and Conor or not I don't know um you know I I watch all your interviews I watched your interview with chip yesterday and it was interesting that somebody on TV took the lead that that was we were going to play two quarterbacks during the game that's not what he said at all uh cuz I listened to it very carefully um we have in the past we will not if some body separates but if we're not really sure which one would be the best we'll play both and and uh I don't know what that means yet CU you you don't get to that point till you get about 10 days out and that's when you start making decisions okay or are there certain times when one plays and the other one comes in or so we'll just have to look at that here we did it a lot with what uh Jason Stanis saac and Mike Thomas and and um Chris korf and Oscar Davenport but those guys we we changed a lot um so it it and it seemed like best I remember everyone that started stunt the other one came in won the game uh so that's kind of what we did so uh but we're we're not planning on playing two but unless somebody takes over then obviously you you put both of them out there and the one that takes over and starts winning the game would play more there's a saying that if you have two you really don't have one but you have won playing multiple quarterbacks you go back and look at the St of sixth period and theor and a major Apple White Chris Sims you've won a lot playing two quarterbacks yeah so it's not something that really I would imagine bothers you in the sense that if you have to do it you already know how to do it yeah my my whole coaching philosophy has been do what you need to do to win with the people that have the best ability to do it so that's what we've got to do we've got to figure out what can Max do and what can Connor do uh enough alike that the blue offensive line gets to work on it every day but we can highlight whatever they do differently and then we do it and and I'm not into um I used to say catching two fish at one time when I've been in the mountains was better than catching one fish I do know if you've got one quarterback and he gets hurt and the other one's not ready to play you're in trouble we've got three that can play if if one of the two got hurt jacobe could get ready to play by taking every snap and and because he's experienced him in around he makes some unbelievable throws and he'll be in the mix if somebody gets hurt or by next year cuz he's got two years uh so I'm I'm excited about the quarterbacks I just want them to to be better leaders and it's always hard when one of them's not in charge or remember telling Drake you don't you don't say much he said I'm not the starter we don't have a starter so until one of them gets that role it is harder for them to step up and Lead but I've told them it's their job you're you're you're on call every day showing us who can lead and and who can make a difference in this team have you seen what you Le to from tomag so far I'm sorry have you seen what you were hoping to see from Tom yeah we're punting the the regular Punt and the rugby punt both um and both punters have tremendous legs and I would say that both have been 75% good but uh some inconsistency that we got to get rid of M we're hoping to get Randy Clemens at some point I think this training camp um and talk to him about what he's been through uh can you I mean would you be willing to share uh yeah some of the things I'll I'll let him share the rest of it but you going to get him tomorrow okay yeah well it sounds like it's been an ordeal yeah um I'm I'm sitting there on U on Sunday on reporting day and I get a call at uh 4 that Randy's in the hospital um and he's tough so he he didn't want to go to the hospital and he had a stomach disorder that was really scary and really dangerous um and he spent a week there and and U I mean as tough and stubborn as he is he was zooming with us and texting me during practice how they look I said Randy I got more to do than text you about how they look watch a video uh but he's come back and he acts like he's not sick I mean he he has been out here every day he's been at every meeting his wife's out here monitoring him every day to make sure he does what he's supposed to do uh but he's uh he's he's tough and the kids really responded and it it it obviously got us behind because you missed your guy yeah and and he he had two that had never played before here in in uh Greenberg and Leftwich um and he's got Howard that he had coached so it it uh it it slowed us down some but I'm I'm still standing with uh I'm excited about both lines of scrimmage uh probably more than I have been since I've been here are we there yet no uh do we still have things that steps and everything else but but when you put the good against good it's a fight and it's fight every time U we did put Willie in a bind because when you got two six eight tackles he looks even shorter so that's that's tough I was going to say speaking about Coach Clemens is that something that could flare up again or is it behind him now do you feel I think he he would have to tell you I think he's fine I think they'll have to look at it again in the spring but short term he's fine and he's he's out of the the danger zone or or he wouldn't be out here obviously right Mac how have you guys been trying to simulate the environment that you're going to see in Minnesota u in practice cuz it's National TV week one going be I've told them you're going to have what you had at Virginia Tech after Co so that's what you got and I I enjoy those environments I said enjoy it and with the helmet communication we're turning the music up really loud so they can't hear um so they have to really work to hear uh ship and Jeff so I think that'll help as well like now that you had I guess a couple weeks of practice we look at guys uh Zack Greenberg's you know one guy that you know some people have kind of you know mentioned the last few weeks how have you seen him you know obviously coming from that D3 level how have you seen him competing in these last couple week we were going to put him at both guard and center but we feel like he needs to get settled because it's all new and fast for him and he's the backup center and he's done a good job with it he's had a couple of bad snaps every now and then but that's cuz he's trying too hard uh but we're we're just trying to get him settled uh and I think he'll be a good player he he's definitely worth signing him how's he been with the physicality good he's been good and you got those big bodies on you now it's a mess I mean if you can imagine ducking your head and putting a ball between your legs and having Josh Harris breathing on you I mean it's not yeah it's it's not it's not fun and simple and easy so but it's been really good he has not backed down he is not not gotten frustrated and and um I've just told our guys like the defense playing so well then they didn't handle it as well coming out we haven't handle success well so we got to grow up we just got to grow up and and we we've got to be stronger and tougher and if you're going to be a great team you got to be a great team every day you you can't be you can have great days but that doesn't make a great team and that's where we've got them got time for two more M as it look it's what is it August 11th I think is as you look at it right now like for this offense to to be able to play to its strengths like youve mentioned will it have to be an Omarian Hampton Le offense um with some of the questions you have at quarterback like does he have to sort of lead you guys yeah I would think yes and and no to to answer it uh we're good enough at receiver we're good enough at quarterback we're good enough at tight end we we got enough pces because people are going to try to stop Omarian so we're going to see U the Box being full and there's going to be one-on ones and we're going to have to take advantage of them but our quarterbacks are good they're talented I'm not I'm not worried about it or we we turn on TV and see Drake and Sam right um so I got it uh but like we said Conor has shown some uh days where he's really talented and and Max has played a lot of ball so I I think we're and Max is accurate he's 6'5 uh Max can run better than people think he can and um Connor consistently gets better I think again uh Clyde's helping all three of those quarterbacks and then you put jacobe in and he'll make some plays that wow you and and you're saying well how simple can we get he miss spring and and we can do that but I'm I I am not worried about our quarterbacks I think they'll be fine we just got we as a team we've got to be more consistent and and I've told them if you play Bad with energy you still got a chance to win if you play Bad and let your head get down and you lose your confidence and have bad body language or you don't have energy when you came you're going to get beat and that's what we've done in some cases that we've got to we got to change I asked chip yesterday this kind of goes off what you're saying with the quarterbacks like they kind of have different starting points you know Max experience Connor younger Kobe coming in late does that give you an idea that maybe this battle maybe more open-minded to changing it as as things go on yes and and um that there is is a starting point and you know we have to play Minnesota so I mean we have to make some decisions but who knows if that's the endgame I mean we may learn something in Minnesota we can't learn in practice who handles games better if if if we're not doing well we'll probably put the other one in at that point if it wasn't working uh because they're both talented and they've both been starters so I'm I'm not taking that out either you everything every decision we'll make will be to win a game so if somebody goes in and they're playing great we got this quarterback and and a backup that's good if if somebody's really struggling somebody said well they can't have them looking over their shoulder quarterbacks always look over their shoulder I mean I got the hardest job in football so we can't if he can't handle pressure then he's probably at the wrong position all right thank you all