Practice number four for North Carolina’s football team is in the books and with it means a day off Monday before the Tar Heels don full pads Tuesday and have full contact.

UNC wore just helmets the first two days and then shells (helmets and shoulder pads) the last two days, but after taking off Monday for the first day of semester classes, they will really dive into things Tuesday.

So, what has been learned so far?

The true freshmen are impressing the veteran Heels, spirit is extremely high, optimism and confidence are at a level not seen around the program since the preseason in 2016, and the Tar Heels have a very good idea of who they are. All of that has been expressed in speaking with a dozen players over the last three days, including the four made available to the media following Sunday’s practice.

Here are full interviews with sophomore defensive tackle Jahlil Taylor, sophomore offensive tackle Asim Richards, sophomore cornerback Storm Duck and senior tight end Garrett Walston as well as some notes and pulled-out quotes from them:

One of the reasons the coaching staff has expressed optimism about how the defensive line will play this season despite losing Aaron Crawford and Jason Strowbridge is because of how Jahlil Taylor played over the final several games of last season. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said Taylor was one of the Tar Heels’ best 11 defenders by the time they rolled into the bowl game.

So, what did Taylor do differently late in the season to take that big step that has hos coaches so confident in his abilities?

“I feel like the way that I was brought into some games at the beginning of the year and just being (in) a few of those different situations, getting the game speed down pat, I feel like that helped me a lot,” Taylor said. “And of course, messing up a little bit and getting fussed at helped me a lot, also.

“So, I feel like that put me in a good position. And then once me and (defensive tackle) Ray (Vohasek) started getting thrown in their together, I feel like we’re talking more now, we’re hanging out more. I just feel like we connect to each other better now, which has helped a lot.”

So, with all of that said and understanding they haven’t had full contact yet, has Taylor noticed anything early on that he’s clearly improved?

“That I’m definitely better at? I don’t like thinking of it that way, but I would definitely say leading the group,” Taylor said. “We’re a young group and we had two big dogs leave us last year, so with them gone we needed somebody to step up. So I feel like that leadership trait is really important with the young group that we have.”

Taylor gushed about what he’s seen from redshirt freshman Kristian Varner and also heaped some praise on redshirt freshman Kevin Hester. Both have grown their bodies quite a bit since arriving at UNC and are getting close to being ready to contribute. Varner may already be there.

“I think he has progressed the most,” Taylor said. “When we came out here and started, I didn’t even recognize who he was. His whole offseason you can tell he’s had his head down working, he’s a hard worker, he’s getting way stronger and his pass rush moves are progressing.

“Just 20 minutes ago, he was looking like a dog out there at practice.”

As for Hester?

“KJ Hester, he’s a big kid,” Taylor said. “He can manhandle some people, so I really like KJ Hester. Him and (true freshman) Myles Murphy, they’re coming along pretty good.”

Mack Brown said back in March that Asim Richards was slated for the starting left tackle spot at that time, and here were are four days into fall camp and he’s still there and, if you go by what some teammates have said, has an even tighter grasp on that job. The transition, though, hasn’t been much of an adjustment on his part.

“It’s been fun, honestly,” Richards said. “I actually got to get a lot of reps in practice last year so I’m actually kind of used to it, and I think I got a lot better this offseason. So, it’s much more fun to play and compete against guys like Tomon (Fox) and (Tyrone) Hopper). It’s just a good time and I’m trying to get better every day.”

Among the things Richards focused on improving in the offseason: His set and trying to stay square, because Richards says he’s still working on fixing a habit of opening up his hips. As for what he brings to the left tackle position: Speed and athleticism. “Trying to get those speed rushers to slow down and just try to block them.”

Richards played just 35 offensive snaps a year ago but did get some experience on the PAT squad. While that’s not quite the same thing as pass protection on third-and-long, it is game experience, and young players along the line of scrimmage usually take longer to adjust to the college game than skill guys because the game is much more different than at the college level for linemen.

So, Richards did play 56 special teams plays a year ago, and even that sample was enough to help him get used to how much different the game is at this level, and it’s paying off already in fall camp.

“I played PAT since like four games into the season, I was on the PAT team,” He said. “And it’s a major difference. They come at you really fast and really hard, so you just have to be prepared for it. And so, I had to do that and now I’m prepared for it, I know what to expect.”

Walston has a new tight end coach this season, and with the shutdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he just recently started getting on-field coaching from John Lilly, whose background at the Power 5 and NFL levels is extensive. So, how has that gone for Walston and the younger Tar Heels in that room?

“It’s been awesome so far,” Walston replied. “He’s bringing a lot of stuff from the NFL to us that eh shows us and talks about. It’s really great having him here because I’ve had a previous relationship with him as I committed to him when he was at Georgia and ultimately came here.

“It’s been awesome having Coach Lilly here and I’m really learning a lot from him.”

What are some of those things Walston is learning from Lilly?

“We’re really focusing on blocking footwork, so that’s one thing he often shows from the NFL: Technique and showing us how to do it. We’re doing that a lot in pre-practice and in individual time, and I’m really feeling good about that. Feeling more confident in my footwork as we go into team periods and stuff. It’s been good.”

Walston hinted the tight ends might be used different from a year ago, but no sweeping changes should be expected.

“I think it will be similar to last year, as of right now, but I think they might give us a couple more options in the passing game, which I think will be good. I think, really, it will kind of be the same, to be honest. We’ll see.”

Note: Something happened while recording Duck’s interview so we don’t have the video, but we do have several quotes of what he had to say.

The secondary is loaded, even with three Tar Heels opting out of the season. Many of the players vying for rotation spots started at least a game last season, or arrive ballyhooed either as a transfer (Kyler McMichael) or a true freshman (Tony Grimes, Ja’Qurious Conley and Cameron Roseman-Sinclair). So as of now, Storm Duck says there are no starters.

“The competition here is amazing right now,” Duck said. “We have a lot of guys out here that can play, so at this point we’re just playing for the amount of plays we get in a game. We don’t have any starters right now, we have blue, white and grey (teams). That helps out a lot with us because everyone gets to play, everyone can compete, we just get to have fun in practice.”

An example of the competition?

“I’m always a competitor, I love going up against the best that we play. The guys I’m playing with at corner, we like to challenge each other and make the best out of every rep that we do. We have to make sure every single rep is game speed and could be our last rep.”

Duck enrolled early as a freshman about 20 months ago and turned in a surprisingly solid spring, yet he was still pretty new during fall camp last year and the unknown was considerable. That’s different now.

“I feel like last year’s fall camp, I really didn’t have too much confidence at the beginning,” he said. “As the season went on, I gained confidence toward the end of the year. I feel like this year I have a lot of confidence and I feel really good in my technique, my coverage and all that.

“That’s really the main difference from last year, my confidence and just being ready to play.”