CHAPEL HILL – Kaleb Cost is a baseball guy. But he’s also a football guy.

Baseball is harder, he says, and football is the sport that has him on scholarship at North Carolina. It’s also the sport in which he will start this season.

A sophomore after appearing in all 13 of UNC’s games last season, mostly on special teams, Cost taking over the star position has been one of the most interesting stories of fall camp. His ability to handle the roles of the position have allowed the staff to move DeAndre Boykins to safety full time.

That’s saying something given that Boykins played 931 snaps at star in 2022 as the star but missed last season with an injury.

Cost played 115 special teams plays and 72 on defense, all at star. He started UNC’s bowl loss to West Virginia, getting 45 snaps and grading out at a respectable 69.4. Yet, even though he participated in just three practices in the spring because of his commitment to Carolina’s baseball team, Cost is the man at star right now for the Tar Heels.

He met with a few members of the media following practice Monday to discuss balancing baseball and football, how playing baseball helps him in football, how his game at star has developed, the unit, what sport is harder, a possible home run trot, and more.

Above is video of Cost’s Q&A session, and below are notes and quotes from what he had to say:

*Playing one major sport in college is taxing enough, but Cost had to juggle baseball and football in the spring.

“It was definitely a lot, just during spring obviously in baseball season and balancing spring practice as well. There’s a 20-hour (NCAA) rule, four hours a day, and we had games, I couldn’t go to practice. But I could attend practice and watch and get mental reps.

“It was a lot of juggling but I really had fun doing it, and I definitely plan on doing it in the future.”

*So, what did Cost’s daily schedule in the spring look like?

“Oh man. So, we’ll have spring practice over here in the mornings starting at 6:30 (in) team meetings. I’ll be able to attend all the meetings and do all that, then I come out here and watch practice. Obviously, the days are structured depending on if we had a game in baseball or not.

“But say we did have a game, I’d come and watch practice and get mental reps in meetings, still be on my mental game over here. Then I’d just go over there and play in the game and take it from there.”

*The bulk of Cost’s star experience last season came in the bowl game, when he played 45 snaps in the 30-10 loss to the Mountaineers. Regardless of the outcome, those game reps and getting so much on film was huge for Cost’s development.

“Absolutely, it definitely gave me a lot of experience just playing in the game. Leading up to it, I had two weeks to prepare… The coach was telling me, ‘stay down and prepare for this game and just give your all.’ And so that’s what I did.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t win the game, but it definitely gave me a different perspective on how I’m going to take playing the star position this year as well. It gives me more confidence.”

*UNC defensive coordinator Geoff Collins says Cost’s baseball skills with hand-eye coordination and ability to track a ball translates to his position on defense in football. What else from baseball helps Cost on the gridiron?

“I’d probably say stealing those bases, just getting out of my breaks and everything over here. Stealing bases and getting back when they pick off and things like that, so I could play better on routes and things like that. I know a couple of moves, so I just bring that to my football game.”

*Cost was asked if he picks off a pass and runs it into the end zone if he would do a baseball slide or something along those lines. He hadn’t thought about that, but he and UNC Baseball Coach Scott Forbes have discussed something Cost would do if he hits a home run.

“(We’ve) got a little thing over there if I hit a home run, I’d (simulate taking a handoff) take it around third (base).”

*Cost was injured during the baseball season, but it wasn’t something new. In fact, he said he was banged up in high school but never spoke up about them. So, one day he was running at football practice and the foot had “excruciating pain” so he got it looked at. He had significant swelling in the foot so he got it taken care of.

“Eventually, I took the time during the spring about three-fourths the way through the baseball season, I told myself I was going to get ready for football season and get prepared.”