Fall Camp Report, Day 4: Defense (Collins & Kelly)

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina held its fourth football practice of fall camp Monday morning, and afterward, four Tar Heels fielded questions from the media at the Koman Practice Complex.

The Tar Heels worked out wearing shoulder pads and helmets Monday. The team will not practice Tuesday, but they return Wednesday, and will be in full pads Thursday dfor the first time.

Monday’s interviews were very interesting, with veterans Chris Collins and Cam Kelly discussing their personal development, but also they each were asked extensively about the new defense under Gene Chizik and how deep and talented the Tar Heels are up front.

Here are videos of both of their interviews along with some notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

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Fifth-year senior Chris Collins is learning the new Jack position playing behind Virginia transfer Noah Taylor, but sometimes they are on the field at the same time. Collins has spent his time at UNC as a defensive end and the hybrid DE/OLB role in former coordinator Jay Bateman’s scheme.

With Chizik running the defense now, things have been scaled down everywhere on that side of the ball, and Collins is fully entrenched at the jack spot.

Last season, Collins saw action in 12 games registering 29 tackles, six for a loss of yardage, of which 2.5 were sacks. Overall, he played 312 snaps a season ago, and in his career, Collins has played 701 snaps: 150 in 2018; none (redshirted) in 2019; 239 in 2020; and 312 last fall.

*Collins is playing the new “jack” position in Chizik’s defense, and was asked to describe what a jack does.

“I love the new position,” Collins said. “It’s kind of a hybrid between an outside linebacker and defensive end, which I’ve played both in my five years here at UNC. Really, we’re a stand-up defensive end. We can drop, rush, and I feel like a big bonus is Coach Chiz being our position coach. So, there is never any gray (area), he makes it really plain for us because he’s the DC, so it’s coming straight out of his mouth.”

*Collins says playing the jack position is perfect for him. It combines the things he’s been asked to do at UNC, but being in his fifth fall camp at Carolina, he has found something that is very comfortable for what he can do on the field.

“I love it, just getting to rush the passer more,” he said. “Last year, I got into a lot of dropping (back in coverage), which I’m able to do, but definitely I want to showcase my ability to rush the passer.”

*The jack does drop back in coverage that much, which is why the role may at times appear very similar to the hybrid role under Bateman, but it, along with everything else on defense under Chizik, is about simplification. So, the jack doesn’t drop in coverage nearly as much as the hybrid did under Bateman, and Collins explained why.

“Chiz is big on us doing what we do best,” Collins said. “We’re all tall, long guys at the jack position, he knows what we came here for was the rush the passer. We are definitely going to drop some, but what he mainly wants us to do is rush the passer.”

*Taylor and Collins are the top two players at the jack position, but who else has stood out to Collins, a younger player that has impressed him?

“I’ve got to praise my young guy Malaki,” Collins responded, referring to true freshman Malaki Hamrick, who attended Shelby (NC) High School. “Freshman he’s come in, and the one thing about Malaki is Coach Chiz says he never has to tell him to ‘giddy up,’ he’s always rolling. For a young guy, you rarely see that, you’re always asking them to bring their energy up. But Malaki, we call him ‘The Energizer Bunny’ in the jack position. Young guy always brings that energy.”

*Carolina has plenty of physically impressive players on defense, there really isn’t a shortage. The recruiting over recent years has stocked that side of the ball. So who among the guys on defense physically most impresses Collins?

“I gotta say Des Evans,” Collins replied. “Des Evans, or my roommate, Myles Murphy. Myles is a dawg, man. Seeing him in those one-on-one matchups with the guards; same thing with Des. I’m really big on the defensive line this year. I feel our two-deep, like Coach Chiz always says, ‘We’ve got the frame, we’ve got the size, now it’s time to put in the work.’ I’m definitely big on our two-deep on the defensive line this year.”

Senior safety Cam Kelly had a knack for making some big plays a year ago, but also had some periods in which he struggled. Consistency was an issue, something he has worked on all offseason and now into fall camp.

He played in all 13 games last season, starting nine times. Kelly was third on the team with 69 tackles, led the Tar Heels with four interceptions, had three PBUs, and 17 STOPs, which are plays that result in failures by the opposing offense, as graded by PFF. He played 560 snaps last season.

For his career, Kelly has appeared in 30 games, starting 14, and overall has played 1,082 snaps.

*All of UNC’s defensive players we have spoken with going back to the spring have excitedly discussed the changes in their approach under Gene Chizik as opposed to Jay Bateman. Simpler is better, they have said to a man. So in the case of Kelly and his position at safety (he’s rotating right now between strong and free), how have things changed? Note: The players talk either about the scheme differences or the increased accountability mandated within the program.

“One thing is we’ve got to communicate; he’s real big on communication,” Kelly said, referring to Chizik. “You can’t function without communication. And one thing you can’t teach (is) effort. So, relentless effort, no NOSes – Not Our Standards. He has a standard we have, and we have to uphold that, and he holds us accountable for that, and we hold each other accountable for that.”

*The communication was a huge problem last season, something the players haven’t shied away from discussing, and sometimes outlining. It is certainly different, Kelly says.

“We know exactly what’s clear and cut,” Kelly said. “Coach (Charlton) Warren and Coach Chiz have done a great job installing. Our playbook is simple but complex, but complex enough to adjust on the fly and get the job done and winning against any offense and go.”

*UNC fans remember too often seeing the defense not set when opponents snapped the ball. Georgia Tech scored a touchdown one time, as Jeff Sims ran the ball in from four yards out, on a play in which not one Carolina player was set when the ball was snapped. Even Sims wasn’t sure the TD counted after he crossed the goal line; the play was that strange.

Some players said having so many calls to work through and make in pre-snap situations led to many of those problems. But with things being simplified, has what he’s reading at safety changed, maybe less to focus on now?

“As a football player, you’ve got to look at the line of scrimmage, pass block, run set, what’s two doing, is the right end blocking, all of that,” Kelly said. “But pre-snap, when he sends out the play, there’s not another play coming behind it.

“It’s straight forward, we know what we’re running and the adjustments take care of every problem, because offense make problems and the calls are there to solve it. And that’s what we do.”

Note: Kelly said they would often get a second play call from the sideline because the offensive formation would change. Now, they get the call in and “it’s just go.”

*Another part of the Chizik approach is he wants his players to use their talents and instincts. Trust their games, and it resonates well with the players.

“You can definitely play instinctual,” Kelly said. “You’ve got to be a ballplayer to go get the ball and go make plays. So, instincts are a part of football, but also, in this playbook, it’s made for plays, made for people with instincts, made for players. So, as long as players do their jobs 1-11, it’s all good.”