CHAPEL HILL - Whether it be in the outfield for UNC Baseball Coach Scott Forbes or within the confines of Kenan Memorial Stadium, North Carolina defensive back Kaleb Cost is a ballhawk. Tracking a ball off of the bat or from the arm of an opponent’s quarterback, the goal remains the same: hunt it down.
On Saturday, Cost exemplified those skills, securing the first interception of his career to help propel the Tar Heels to a 45-10 victory over North Carolina Central.
“It felt great. I mean just all the work I put in in the offseason,” said Cost “It felt amazing, especially just all the adversity I’ve been going through the past couple of games.”
Adversity and a learning curve are to be expected for the first-year starter, who missed most of spring practice because of baseball before suffering a foot injury that hampered him on the diamond.
After all, Cost is the proverbial young pup in North Carolina’s secondary. He knows it, his teammates know it, and the Tar Heels’ first three opponents have also known it.
Alijah Huzzie has logged over 3,000 snaps in his collegiate career, Stick Lane is close behind approaching 2,700, and Jakeen Harris is just five plays away from eclipsing 2,000. Across 16 career games, Cost has recorded just 231 career defensive snaps.
Through UNC’s first three games, he has surrendered nine receptions on a team-high 18 targets for 168 yards, allowing a pass play of 20 or more yards in each contest.
“Just giving up a couple of explosive plays early in the season with the first two games, I knew they were going to come at me and continue to do that,” said Cost. “Until I show that I can consistently cover at a high level, they’re going to keep coming at me.”
Having the memory of a goldfish is a key attribute for a defensive back, particularly at the Star position, which is tasked with the duties of both a linebacker and defensive back.
For Cost to be handed the keys to one of the most difficult positions in football indicates both his intelligence and the trust from the UNC coaching staff.
“They know my capabilities, my ball skills, my technique itself. They know I can cover guys,” said Cost. “At the end of the day, they just try to give me tools every day at practice and in the film room.”
With a short memory, more experience, and the expertise of the defensive coaching staff, Cost is now allowing the game to come to him, focusing on slowing down both his feet and his mind.
Despite surrendering explosive plays both in the Tar Heels’ first two games and early in the first quarter of Saturday’s win, his increased comfort is evident.
He posted a season-high 70.7 defensive grade against the Eagles, which ranked first among the secondary, according to PFF, and amassed a career-high six tackles.
“He gets better everyday. I felt like he got a lot better tonight,” said UNC Coach Mack Brown following the win. “I was really proud of the interception. He made some really good tackles.”
As North Carolina approaches ACC play in the coming weeks, the growth and improvement of Cost can go a long way in strengthening what has been an improved defense under Geoff Collins.
