CHAPEL HILL - After a year on the periphery, linebacker Eugene Asante is ready to step into a bigger role for North Carolina during his sophomore season.

Asante appeared in all 13 games for the Tar Heels, primarily on special teams, as a true freshman before seeing more action at linebacker in the final four games of the year. He racked up 12 tackles in those games and finished with a team-high eight in the blowout win over Mercer.

Asante didn’t burst onto the scene during his debut campaign, but the experience he got being an integral part of UNC’s special teams helped acclimate the Chantilly, VA, native to the college game.

“It helped me a lot,” Asante said. “Just playing special teams and getting that experience, it’s a stepping stone to college football.”

For UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, Asante’s talent was never in question. He saw glimpses of how good he could be as a linebacker, but there were aspects of his game that needed smoothing.

“Last year, he would flash,” Bateman said. “You'd be like, ‘Wow, he's gonna be a really good player,’ but then he would go the wrong way.”

Despite his inconsistencies as a freshman, Asante’s work ethic this offseason has helped set him apart in Bateman’s eyes.

“Probably 10 times during the quarantine, Eugene Asante would text me, ‘Alright coach, give me 10 calls to run’ and he would be out in a field or in his hallway at home and he would be working through formations and reads,” Bateman said. “He has put a tremendous amount of effort in and it shows.”

Ironing out those kinks and becoming a more polished all-around football player has been Asante’s mission this offseason. He knows the type of player he wants to be and has worked to make that step since last season ended.

“I want to be one where I’m very instinctive, I’m cerebral and I can use my abilities well…,” Asante said. “I don’t want to go out there and receive all the glory and all the accolades and all that, I want to do my job to a T so the d-line can eat (and) the secondary can do their job.”

Pushing Asante to have a breakout campaign in 2020 is his family, and in particular his older brother, Larry, who played six years in the NFL from 2010 to 2015 before being cut by the Oakland Raiders. Asante uses Larry’s story and its unfortunate ending as fuel every time he steps on the field.

“Every day I get blessed with an opportunity to be on this football field, I need to go 110 percent because, in the real world, your dreams can get cut at any time,” Asante said. “That’s one thing that motivates me.”

The biggest hurdle, however, standing between Asante and seeing significant game reps is All-America linebacker Chazz Surratt. The senior is one of the nation’s top defensive players and someone Asante is directly behind on the depth chart.

While stealing Surratt’s starting job won’t happen, finding a way to utilize both players simultaneously is one of Bateman’s goals.

“The hard thing with Eugene Asante is he plays behind Chazz primarily, so the challenge for me is how do you get Eugene in the game and not take Chazz out,” Bateman said. “That becomes part of our deal.”

Still, Bateman knows the work Asante has put in since arriving in Chapel Hill and is actively working to make sure he sees the field more this season because of it.

“He has put a tremendous amount of effort in and it shows,” Bateman said. “Now you've got a kid who's very knowledgeable, who's very confident with what he's doing who’s got a ton of ability. We have to play him some, we have to.”

It’s not just Bateman that has noticed how much Asante has improved. The player he’s competing with the most for playing time has, too.

“Eugene’s really fast, really strong, he did a good job in the weight room over the winter…” Surratt said. “I think Eugene will be really good. He’s a smart football player and really athletic.”

Stronger, faster and more confident than he ever was as a rookie, Asante has the backing of his peers and coaches and looks set to become a more integral part of the Tar Heels’ defense in 2020.