CHAPEL HILL – Day five of North Carolina’s preseason camp is in the books but most of the questions head coach Mack Brown took Tuesday morning were about the ongoing saga surrounding college football and whether or not there will be a season this fall.

Brown still took some football questions, some of which are noted in this report. We don’t hit on everything he said about the options on the table right now regarding the season and what some of the ramifications may be. We will handle some of that with separate content aside from this report.

Note: UNC remained in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) Tuesday and hasn’t yet put on the full pads and had full contact.

Here are some notes and quotes from what Brown had to say in his 61-minute post-practice zoom session:

*Brown said this morning there have been no positive tests on the UNC football team in a month. “No positive test for over a month,” Brown said.

*The program created a bubble around the team as much as they could when the players started returning in June and have been able to mostly maintain it.

“The guys are understanding that if you wear your mask, if you’ll social distance, if you’ll wash your hands, the risk is low,” Brown said. “That’s what the people across the country are telling us, and they’re (players) are doing a good job with that.”

*Classes started Monday and many of the Tar Heels attended classes with other students. Brown said the players told him everyone was wearing masks, chairs were more than six feet apart and some fellow students were even opening doors for football players so they didn’t have to tough door handles.

*Brown has had to speak with his team a lot the last few days about where college football is at this time, but noted there’s been no drop off in practice intensity and the coaches haven’t had to infuse the players with positive energy. As for what will happen, the message has been simple: “We will tell them if something happens,” the coach said.

*With so many reports out there steering this story and the many options reportedly on the table, Brown said regardless of how a schedule plays out, when the games are played, and any other decisions along those lines that are made, it comes down to this: “It can’t be about anything but the kids wanting to play and doctors saying it’s safe.”

Furthermore: “Is it safe, when’s it safe, how’s it safe, and that’s what we want. The doctors know that the kids want to play, the doctors know that the coaches want to play, the doctors’ responsibility is that they keep the kids safe and I totally understand that.”

*Since the players started returning to campus in June, Brown has consistently said he is following the doctors’ lead. Nothing with respect to player safety and the virus are up to him. “Our medical staff has made all of the decisions here, I haven’t made any.”

*There remains a possibility that some P5 conferences will shut down football for the fall, so doe Brown feel comfortable with the ACC moving forward and playing if other P5s don’t?

Brown said that’s up to UNC’s AD Bubba Cunningham and chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, adding, “Bubba knows that I want to play if it’s safe. He knows our staff and players want to play. But again, I think this is so fluid right now everybody’s talking to everybody else about what possibilities might happen and if somebody doesn’t play what would we do…

“If some of the others don’t play, I don’t know what that does for us. You have to look at the NCAA structure, the championships, you have to look at the College Football Playoff and what that would mean for them, and you have to look at the bowl games, and then you have to look at you might now be playing your plus-one but then would you play within your own league with eight?

“And I don’t see leagues playing by themselves. I think if you see three or four of the leagues saying they don’t think it’s healthy, then I think people across the country would really be concerned that if enough people think it’s not safe then why would we do it?”

*Three Tar Heels opted out of the season last week, including senior safety D.J. Ford, who has already used his redshirt year. Brown was asked about Ford’s eligibility situation moving forward, and as of now there are no definitive answers.

“I think that is being considered by the NCAA right now,” Brown said. “The way I understand, if D.J. wants to come back, for instance, what we would do is appeal for him if he wants another year. And then like any other fifth-year, sixth-year, the NCAA would have to decide whether they would grant that to him or not.”

*Staying on the football front, Brown said starting guard Josh Ezeudu is the primary backup at both tackle spots right now and if Jordan Tucker went down, Ezeudu would be the left tackle and Asim Richards would move to right tackle. He also said they are “trying to get to 10 offensive lineman that can play, we’ll probably be lucky to have eight, but we’ve got to have eight.”

*Brown also said true freshman Jonathan Adorno is getting work at center behind Brian Anderson and Ty Murray but is also working at left tackle. The staff doesn’t want Anderson to play every snap, which passed the 90-mark at times last season. So, they want the backup to get about a third of the snaps at center in games.

*Ray Vohasek has been the most improved player on the roster from this time a year ago, Brown said. “He is all over the place. He’s quick, he’s over 300 pounds, he’s in great shape, he’s making great grades. I’m so excited about Ray and what he brings to us.”

*Brown also said it was pretty cool seeing the Fox brothers lined up at end the other day in practice. That, of course, is senior Tomon and sophomore Tomari, whom the coach gave tremendous praise, saying he’s working at three spots on the defensive line. “We’re excited about him and the progress he’s making.”

*Brown said true freshmen Ja’Qurious Conley and Tony Grimes, who should be a senior in high school, will play for sure.

“They were two of the best young high school players in the country last year and they look really good. Tony Grimes doesn’t look like he should be starting his senior year in high school and Ja’Qurious Conley, nobody’s blocked him yet. And he can fly… I think Ja’Qurious is up to like 225 and can fly. So we feel like those two guys will play immediately.”