UNC at ACC Kickoff: Mack Brown, Conner Harrell, Max Johnson and Kaimon Rucker

welcome everybody and uh I don't think I've ever been more excited about a college football season it's it's fun got a lot of changes that that we're all dealing with and navigating with um but it it's fun to learn to navigate and those that handle Co because we had never been in a situation with covid before the ones that handled it the best won the most games the ones that are handling nil and transfer portal the best instead of griping about it are going to win the most games that's just what you do as as the structure in college football change and moves forward but uh nil is a great thing in so many different ways because the players get paid and our guys are using nil for Charities they're using it to reach out and and help their brand they're using it to to get to meet new boosters uh one of our guys was talking about the the storm damaged the roof on the house and mom was able to fix the roof because of nil money we've got a young guy with stage four cancer that he's been able to uh help some of those cost his mother's a police officer help her uh that we can't pay so it's really helped him TZ Walker when he was dealing with his U NCAA stuff was able to get an attorney we couldn't have done that three years ago uh so there's so many things that that our guys are doing they're helping with table to to feed kids that are poor and can't eat I can't imagine a child not eating we're all so blessed we we get to eat when we want to and what we want to uh they 35 of them were at uh um habitat for humanities on a Saturday afternoon when it was 97 de Connor and a bunch of the guys the other night were raising money to fight an awful disease so um nil for us has been good it's a great learning experience and and um the the guys have handled it really really well and I'm really proud of them just quickly to reflect on our Our Last 5 Years um really proud of the things that have been accomplished we uh uh we are the uh best in academics with the APR in the ACC this year we've had the best four years in North Carolina history so I'm proud of that these guys are are tied with Northwestern for the third best APR uh in the country and and that's they they come to school to get a degree that's going to help them even more than the nil money that they're going to get when they get out so I'm really really proud that these guys have the best academic situation right now in the history of North Carolina football the best in the ACC and the third best nationally uh we are also second in the ACCC with number of draft choices over the last five years that means our coaches have done a good job of of recruiting means we're developing young people and a lot of those guys are getting opportunities at the second level and I'm really proud of that and third we've got uh we're tied with NC State for the second most wins in in the ACC in ACC games over the last 5 years so I'm really really proud of that we've been to an orange bow which North Carolina's never done we've won a coastal Championship which North Carolina had only done once uh in in our history so uh a lot of wonderful things that these guys have done uh what we we won some games that we shouldn't have won and really surprised some people we've had national rankings that are really high uh what we haven't done though is we've lost some games that we shouldn't have lost and that's really hurt us we've lost some games where we were the better team and that comes back to me that's on that's on coaching that's on us because we've had good enough players to do that uh We've also we haven't finished the seasons like we should the old adage of fans and media remember November uh that's why we're don't have the respect nationally that that we should have over the first three comments that I made simply because we haven't finished right um and and we we've played some really good teams at the end but we we've lost to our rival uh three years in a row uh one of our Rivals and you can't do that that's the end of the year we lost to Clemson in a title game we lost to Oregon these are all good teams but to to be where we want to go we've got to win those games so our whole Focus since the end of last season is why are we we not finishing right coach Bowen kind of he had a a quote that kind of said if you keep keep making the same mistak you're going to have the same results and and that's true so why not change so we're going to play more people we've got to play more people and create more depth we've said it for 5 years we haven't done it we've got to do it and Jeff Collins coming in is is committed to doing that and we'll do it on offense as well uh when you you've got starters that are not as tired at the end of the year you can have them more involved with special teams cuz we got to get better on our special teams we got to get better on defense and we've had some injuries and guys get tired at the end those are all things that we can do better and they're they're simple answers for a a very difficult problem but they're things that we can do uh questions that I can answer for you coach your first one will come just in front of you in the first row on the right coach Dan tortor wakeup called dt.com you look at this conference as a whole and how it's evolved over time SMU in Dallas Texas and then two on the west coast with Cal and with Stanford how would you define what the ACC is becoming in the grand scheme of Collegiate football gosh Dan I was here when Florida State came in and I remember Florida state was so good and John Swafford came to me and we weren't good and he said do you mind if Florida State comes into the league and I said yes I said my Lord why would I want them in the league and I said wait five years and we'll do it he said okay I'll do that we put them in the next year uh so I I saw that then I I saw the the change anges with the Syracuse and the Boston College and all of those Virginia techs and and those teams coming in and then I was at Texas when we we were down to hours that I thought Oklahoma Oklahoma State Texas and Texas Tech were going to the Pack 12 and all of that was going to change because it changed your recruiting areas it it changed the uh travel for your your um teams it changed the travel for the parents it changed the expense for the parents so when you start looking at what's happened to this league now and a really a third change I guess we had the the change with a lot of different Dynamics with teams coming in then we had Notre Dame Edition and and now we've had three new teams um it makes it exciting for uh our players to go to a cal or a Stanford or a Dallas that maybe they haven't been to before makes it fun for fans but at the same time you have to think about what does it change in recruiting uh what does it change for your academic schedule um and how much more difficult is it for the parents uh to get to see their sons play coach follow the center aisle up and just to the left hey coach David Glenn from the North Carolina sports network and the David Glenn show when we think of your National Championship we sometimes think first of Vince Young your great quarterback when we think of your recent Carolina teams we sometimes think first of Sam Howell or Drake May uh but two of the best teams I've ever seen in Carolina were your 96 and 97 team team which were built differently without the dominant quarterback can you do that in 2024 given your three-headed quarterback and uh the rest of your personnel David I think uh first you're you're going to hear from Max and Connor I think they're both really good and and then we've got jacobe Criswell coming back and he competed with Drake May down to the last week and I remember the year that Drake Started I think it was Andrew told me the other day there's not much Buzz about our team right now I think that's a same thing we said when Drake and jacobe were competing for the quarterback spot don't have a quarterback don't really have a lot of Buzz not much going on we started 9 and one so uh Connor has played enough now that he gets it and he's got a chance to be really good Max is thrown 900 balls in the SEC so uh I do think what will happen is our defense is going to be better last year we ran the ball more like we did when Michael Carter and jav Williams were here so we're going to help the defense more with our offense and these guys have to step up and and they can't be Drake and they can't be Sam but we can be a better team and and that's what we're working towards and you you kind of said that we we were never great in the offensive line even with those two teams that we had in in uh 97 and '98 uh that was where we we didn't get to where we could block a Flor State the day they beat us when they were number one we were number four they beat us 20 to3 quarterback got hit nine times uh because we couldn't block them and and I I do think we will be better in the offensive line next year and and that's a compliment to our coaches uh the recruits that they're bringing in and Randy Clemens being back for a second year um and Randy and Chip are really on the same page and our coaches are all on the same page so I expect us to play better complimentary football and that's what I'm excited about I think we can have a good team I I don't want to talk about it everybody says you're not talking about your team well if you talk about them they're not any good then you're stupid and absolutely there's not a coach up here that knows how good his team's going to be we all say it none of us know who gets hurt uh you got to be in a tight game usually on the road to see if you win if you do then you pull together if you get beat early then some teams fall apart so uh after 36 years of this stuff you can ask me but I have no clue when I was in your seat an ESPN would say pick the four finalist for next year's team is right before the national championship game I said are you kidding me I I don't have a clue and they said it doesn't matter pick them just pick them and and that's what some of you all have done here the last few weeks so yeah that was humor that was humor all right what else coach to your right hand side third row how you doing coach Mack TJ Wilkerson from 90.9 the white hey TJ how you doing great good my question for you I've got two my first one is since you decided to return to coaching five years ago how are you feeling going into your fifth year and also you talk about coaching and play relationships do you how what does it mean to you to keep that Bond going once they leave school and they go out into the real world whether it's for football and so forth yeah TJ I'll answer the second one first we have a sign in our building it's not a four-year decision it's a 40 I'm old enough now some of these guys are it's a 50 cuz I'm I'm still with them and I have calls every day about can I get a job coach and I I love Father's Day when they'll text me and and I love Christmas when I can see pictures of their families and and that's what this is all about the the people ask now why are you doing this and I I had uh I was meeting with Coach Bowen and coach pno on a Nike trip and Coach Bowen was 84 and coach pno was 85 and I said' what are you all doing I was in my 50s I said why why don't you go play something and Coach pno Saidi got no Hobbies I got 17 grandkids I I don't want to go spend all my time with these grandkids and Sally actually said do you know all their names he said sure I do and his wife Sue said now he knows Joe but he may not know the rest of them so I asked coach Bowen why are you doing this at 84 and he said uh I have a purpose and the purpose is to help these young people with their lives he said if I I when I quit coaching the next significant thing that will happen in my life will be my death and I thought that's pretty strong and the way I feel is I love these guys I don't like these guys I love these guys and they're so nice and they're such good people and they work so hard and they're so mature that my life right now has a purpose that I get to see them every day and I get to talk to them and I get to help them grow and if they're doing something that I messed up it it's it's worse for them now because of social media we all messed some stuff up nobody knew it they mess it up it's it's all out there and it's public so I I feel such a purpose more than any time in my life that I can help them with their lives and that's pretty powerful as you start looking at it and that's why I got back into coaching and I even feel more strongly about that now I'm like I said in the opening part I'm I'm more excited about them next week a lot of people are questioning us and what we're doing and we've done more good things than we get credit for and that's okay I I got that but I want them to win all the games I want nice young people that have the best academic record in our league and one of the best in the country that are doing everything right with nil to win all the games and that's that's my purpose coach thank you for the time you can switch spots with Connor and we'll spend Conor was BCT tour him of his high school and he's much smarter than me so that's why I went ahead of him so come on Connor with that we will ask you from the podium to start things off you were valid dictorian you gave the speech at graduation yes uh there there were a couple valorian and there there was I did not give a speech uh I remember a girl Abby McGee gave a speech so no I did not all right then we will open the questions up in the room who would like the first question of Connor will bring it down in front right hand side and Conor is a prominent student in our business school Dan toror wakeup dt.com Connor for you to be on a team where not only you're competing for the job at quarterback but Max is here with you today just that representation and that relationship that you both have to be competitive but to also be family yes sir yeah I say Obviously get asked this question a lot and uh I I always say me and ma are the only people in the world going through this situation with these coaches and with this team and obviously brings you closer you know we're together all the time um working together trying to figure out how to make the team better and that brings you closer so I think the end goal is you know we want to win a championship and and that creates a bond so other questions for Connor out in the room Connor will go right hand side third row hey Connor TJ Wilkerson 90.9 the light you know in these kind of QB competitions we hear this guy versus this guy but my question is what are you learning from Max and what do you think he can learn from you yeah I mean obviously uh Max has played a lot of football he has a lot of experiences different receivers uh a lot of good stories about you different guys you know coming behind LSU behind Joe burrow and other stuff you know he's had a lot of experiences that I can learn from um he's learned from a lot of different guys and whether that's you know pocket presence or just me just unconsciously picking up uh good things that he does when him not even saying anything is is invaluable when you're going against a really good player so Conor we're going to stay on the right hand side about the fifth row back gentlemen getting ready to stand thank you hi Conor sh roas with the North State Journal just want to ask you and you know this this year on offense you guys got a lot of talent still outside of the quarterback position with running back and receivers just how has that helped you and the other quarterbacks in the quarterback room kind of get acclimated to the to to the offense learning the offense and just jelling that offense together before the season starts yeah we we have uh I think really good players in every position you know tied end receiver and running back and you know leaning on all those guys to help us succeed in the the spring the summer coming closer you every position um I think it's going to be important to use everybody every position and you know just just trying to get the most out of everybody so Connor from the podium in high school you are a team captain are you a vocal leader or a lead by example leader uh I think both I I think I've done done a lot better job of becoming vocal um this year uh I think I've been trying to make that uh a focal point in my leadership talking more because you know guys respond you know when you're talking to them when you're speaking to them uh there's a lot of there's a lot of effect I can have on on younger guys on freshman if I you know have a conversation with them have dinner with them um so I've been trying to get better at it and I think I've become like a lot more vocal leader this year other questions for Connor Connor we're going to go follow the center aisle up and note that the gentleman with the red shirt we will hustle a microphone to him Terence hasard juice nwk Connor what is about uh UNCC um theyve had Success With Sam Howell Drake May what is it about the coaches um that have allowed the quarterbacks to be successful um and give you the opportunity to be following that next line of the past UNC quarterbacks yeah I mean I think it starts with recruiting coach Brown's always going to recruit great great guys and great humans and great play players so um you know Sam Sam and Drake are great guys and the offense really plays their strengths I think that's a huge thing is we all have different strengths different abilities different um talents and being able to being able to cater to what we do best is very important I think we've done a really good job with that the last few years and I think we'll continue to do a good job of that Connor thank you uh to use the metaphor the the phrasing in college athletics will hand you off to the other quarterback it is late in the proceedings folks sorry about that questions for Max Max we will start leftand side uh gentleman about six row towards the wall good afternoon Max how much do you lean on your dad Brad's experience you know Super Bowl quarterback but also a Florida State quarterback yeah I think he's been through so many experiences in his life that I've been able to learn so much from him he's taught me you know never get too high never get too low um you know lean on your guys you know you got to be a leader in the good times and the bad times um everybody is experiences those throughout their you know their career in high school college uh NFL so I've been able to learn so much from them and I've you know gained so much wisdom from just so many some from so many things he's taught me so a we're going to get the microphone down to the right hand side right in front of you Dam tort Tor wakeup call dt.com Max you have had a journey when it comes to the transfer portal from LSU to Texas A&M now to North Carolina to someone who maybe is in a place where it's not the right fit what did you learn what type of wisdom and knowledge can you share about the portal and how to handle the re-recruitment of college football yeah I think you know the transfer portal is a big part of you know college football now you see all you know Joe burrow um Kyler Murray there you've seen so many Big Time guys transfer from school to school and I think you know being in Carolina with Coach Brown and you know all these great players around me I'm I'm so excited for the opportunity I'm so blessed to be able to be here and you know it's it's a tough time being in the portal you're getting phone calls you know every single day and for me it was just finding the best fit for me and you know building that relationship with these guys and Coach Brown was so important for me Max we'll go right hand side third row TJ Wiston from 90.9 the light how you doing this afternoon Max I'm doing great how are you I'm doing good man so at the end of it all all the phone calls everything what made UNC the right choice outside of just m brown being the awesome guy he is yeah I think watching you know the guys coming here such as you know Sam how and Drake May and the success they had here and just the type of offense that has run here uh coach Lindsay's done a great job of like Connor said working everybody's strengths and uh I've kind of fit in really well here I've I've met met some great guys great friends and um for me this is this is the place where I wanted to be coming out of the portal I didn't of course I got other phone calls but this was my first choice and uh this is where I want to be and you know I'm looking forward to this year other questions for Max Max we're going to go far left almost against the wall over there oh yes JJ Jones Carolina football um so when you came into UNCC looking at this receiving group what stood out to you the most and why you went want to come and play at UNC I mean we got some dudes at receiver JJ is one of them number five a baller um we got some dudes out there so we got you know I could I could name every single one of them but um I don't want to highlight any certain guy because we got a bunch of studs and um each guy can take a slant to the crib so I'm looking forward to you know working with him this fall camp and so is that like me asking you how much you like your head coach that's exactly the receiver group I a have to throw me in there but I appreciate anything else for Max from a member of the media or the football team Max seeing nothing else or hearing nothing else we will hand it off to Cayman and we will wrap up our time with the heels with Mr Rucker questions for cayman Cay we're going to go right hand side towards the backs gotcha sir if you'll stand please thank you hey C good to see you sho Ro house with the North State Journal sheo what's good baby I'm doing all right how about you good man can't complain good um just want to ask you know you got a new defensive coordinator with Jeff Collins of course he's coming in a little bit more aggressive in his approach what have you seen so far in this offseason that's kind of let you know and the other defensive players know that this year will be different a different defense from Carolina that we seen in the past um for starters man I feel like um day one when he hit the room he set a standard for us I feel like in the past and haven't really set a standard as a defense you know obviously with everybody's standard whether doesn't matter what conference you're in what um opponents that you're facing the next week everybody's got their own little thing but the thing is with us we a never really established a standard we ain't never established a bar that we need to jump over or that we need to go over and I feel like the bar that he set on day one is that we want to be the best um defense in college football and from that day forward that has been in the Mantra of our defense the entire time it doesn't matter if it's winter workouts summer workouts conditioning or heading into fall Camp that's just something that we need to hang our hat on because that's something that we need to firmly believe in if we want to be the defense that we need to be we need to be the best one in college football we need to be the defense that everybody talks about not because of how many rushing yards we gave up or how many passing yards we gave up or how we performed in the past five years we need to be talked about because of what we can do the talent that we have in our defense the hard work and the determination that we have with the guys on our side and if we can do that then we can genuinely be the best defense in college football next question right in front first row Dan toror wake up called dt.com came in to have a head coach like mck brown who's had so much experience and has seen the world of college football as a coach and also on the other side of it looking at it and analyzing it what does that mean to you to have his knowledge and his wisdom on a daily basis to train you and prepare you I mean first off man I'm getting coached by a Hall of Famer first off you know what I'm saying won a national championship and I mean you can't just get that anywhere there's not a lot of places that can say that so for me to say that it's truly an honor and a and a privilege and for him stepping into his fifth year of coaching and stepping into my fifth year of playing for us being his um for the 2020 class to be his first recruiting class coming back to UNCC that is also another honor and another privilege and I'm just glad to be a part of the journey just as much he was on this journey as well so um but just to really be a part of the knowledge and the wisdom that he shares with our team each and every day team meeting practice um outside of everything it's just like it's like I said I can't I can't say nothing but it's an honor and the privilege because this is this is a guy that not only has given me a shot when a lot of power fire programs didn't offer me out of high school he took the shot on me nobody else did but him and so he saw that he trusted me early on before I even had trust in myself he trusted me and so for just to learn from him to grow up with him really just to learn from him each and every day the ex is the nose of football but just also life in general like he said it's not a 4-year decision it's a 40-year decision and for him to just set me up for life allowing me just to be the person that I am to be the person that I am on the field off the field getting involved with the community utilizing nio not for my own purposes I'm helping out in the community and serving others it's just you know obviously for everybody else that benefits from that as well teaching us life lessons each and every day that's something that you don't get in every single football program so for Coach Brown to still be here still pushing it still going hard as if he was back back in his first year coaching man it's truly an honor and a privilege and Coach Brown personally I appreciate you for trusting me and allowing me to stay this long and you know just me being a part of this journey with you so I love you and I appreciate you for that love you brother tell very quickly what you did with your oh yeah so since we're on the topic of nil um so um it was about a couple of months ago or a month ago um I went back to my hometown and you know this is a bunch of fifth graders at my alma moer Elementary school um fifth graders that are going into the sixth grade and you know anybody who has children or has children that are going into that fifth grade particularly boys you know they go through a lot of bodily and atomically changes and so with me what I did I utilized my n nil and I've um purchased book bags different hygienics such as deodorant kind of little um baz of cologne of course and I kind of branched out with my um R the butcher merch as well so if y'all feeling generous you know go here R the butcher. but um I also offer that as well to these kids but um all jokes aside you know I just wanted to help them out with their hygienics as well because this is a um this is a different point this is a very big change in their lives you know I feel like there's very important changes in people's lives and that's going that's transitioning from school and trans transitioning to um another level of um K through 12 transitioning going into college and trans transitioning from college to the real world and so for me I utilize my nil to really help them in their first stage of their life going from essentially being a boy to a young adult or going into that level into their lives where they start holding accountability and responsibility and of course taking care of their body along along the way so Cayman thank you North Carolina good luck this season thank you thank you