CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Coach Mack Brown met with the media Monday to field questions about his team’s preparation for the Orange Bowl versus Texas A&M, his players that have decided to opt out of the game, its affect on the team, how it can help toward next season, and much more.
The No. 13 Tar Heels will face No. 5 Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2 at 8 pm at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, the same site where UNC throttled Miami on Dec. 12.
Above is Brown’s full Q&A session and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*The players went home for a week after the Miami game but returned Saturday, which is when everyone got their most recent COVID tests, and Brown said at the outset of his presser all of the tests were negative.
*UNC announced before the press conference that junior Dyami Brown has entered his name in the NFL draft, so he will not play in the bowl game or be back next season, and it also announced seniors Chazz Surratt and Michael Carter have opted out of the bowl. In addition, junior running back Javonte Williams practiced Monday but is still waiting on more feedback before making a final decision on his future.
*The Tar Heels won’t approach the Orange Bowl like typical bowls since the usual array of activities won’t be taking place. They will go down a couple of days in advance and pretty much treat it like a road game in the regular season.
“It will be more like an away game, and then you play, it’s an 8 o’clock game at night, and then you go home afterward,” Brown said. He also noted the team will fly home the next morning at around 10 am.
*Brown said the team will treat practice this week like an “open date week.” He also said Monday’s practice was very good, the team was in good spirits and is ready to prepare for A&M.
*As for the players that have opted out, Brown gave them a chance to handle releasing the news on their own, which each did on social media, before the school made a statement. UNC made that announcement at the outset of Monday’s pressers, which included players Sam Howell, Jeremiah Gemmel, and Tomon Fox.
Brown is happy to see that the players could make these decisions with the help on the information the program could give them.
“Our job is to tell the guys their options," he said. "So, we've got Darrell Moody and a group of people that are talking to the NFL, for like Dyami and for Javonte, to see where we think they would be drafted. And then our job is to get that information to them and their families and let them make the decisions.
"We don't make decisions. And the same thing with the seniors. We talked to all the seniors, it's not my place to like it or not like it or be disappointed because everybody has options. A coach can leave today if he decides to. Would I like, would I be disappointed? Probably some yes in both, but that's his option. And you get to do what you want to do.”
*In talking with Fox, Howell and Gemmel, it was clear they weren’t deterred at all by the op outs, instead they’re excited for their teammates. Brown said that’s a big part of the program’s DNA.
“I think the fun thing for us now as we get kind of a look at next year's team," Brown said. "We’ve got very few seniors that will be playing and this gives us a chance to try some guys out here in the next 10 days. And tells us a little bit more about what we will be looking at going into spring practice. So, it is an exciting time for us. And it's no different than having injuries. When somebody is out and they're not going to play in the game, it’s next man up and that's what you've got to do.
"And it sounds a little harsh, but it's facts and that's what these kids know and that's what they've been taught. And, when we talked to them about the three guys not playing, that was one of the things we said. These are huge holes to fill and somebody in this room's been preparing to fill them and now you've got your opportunity to step up, so we'll see what you can do.”
*Brown is excited about the opportunity presented to his team, understanding to be the guy you’ve got to beat the guy. In this case, it’s taking a space among the top 10, which is on Carolina’s target list.
“The guys are very excited about being chosen to play in the Orange Bowl,” Brown said. “First time we’ve had a major bowl around here for many years, so they’ve made some history for our school and we’re excited to be in. But we want to win against a great team, and to be a top-10 team you’ve got to beat top-10 teams.
“We’ve lost to one and beaten one here in the last couple of weeks, so this will be another great challenge for us.”
*Brown has taken Carolina from a 2-9 mark in 2018, and 6-21 over the program’s previous 27 games before his hiring, to the Orange Bowl in the span of just 25 months. Personally, this validates his decision to return to coaching.
“I'm really proud that, as a team, they decided they wanted to play because we started August 6, so it's been a long, hard year,” Brown said. “And they could have been beaten down mentally, but they stepped up and they're really excited about playing. So, this really reinforces the fact that I should have come back into coaching and it’s been fun.”
*Jacob Turner contributed to this report.
