CHAPEL HILL – The seventh practice of fall camp took place Tuesday morning for North Carolina, and afterward, first-year defensive coordinator Geoff Collins fielded questions from the media.

Among the things Collins was asked about was playing more depth on defense, how the unit has adapted to his more freedom-based approach that takes advantage of each player’s greatest talents, the attack-minded approach, plus about many specific Tar Heels.

The Q&A session lasted around 24 minutes. The full video is posted above, and below are some notes and quotes from what he had to say:

*Collins was asked what his initial thoughts are seven practices and nine days into fall camp:

“I’m having so much fun coaching this group of guys. I had 15 practices with them during spring ball; had an identity, had a mindset. The way they attacked this offseason, the summer work that (strength and conditioning) Coach (Brian) Hess had and the strength staff, they came back with a better chip on their shoulder, they’ve got an edge, they are flying around, communicating at a high level, they’re talking.

“It’s a really close group right now. And obviously we’ve got a couple more weeks until we get to play somebody else; get to play (at) Minnesota on a Thursday night. But I love what I’m seeing with the speed, the execution, the camaraderie, energy. All those things have been a real positive.”

*Des Evans described Collins’ defensive approach as “less systematic” than what the Tar Heels employed under Gene Chizik. Collins wants them to “cut it loose” and play as fast as they can. But there has to be a fine line when a coach installs such a different approach from when he sees the players learning and adapting to playing freely and instinctively. He’s seen that with this group.

“Once they know the family that the defense is in, then it just makes sense when we put other things in that are in that same family.”

In other words, once the players grasp to totality of the base approach, Collins and the staff can begin adding prongs to it. That started in the second practice, he said, as the full install was completed after the first practice.

“The techniques that are associated with those, lets them play faster,” he said.

*UNC Coach Mack Brown has said the last few summers he wants his defense to play a lot of guys, but it hadn’t materialized. Brown essentially swears it’s going to happen now, in part because Collins has always been about getting guys on the field. Where many coaches are terrified about putting non-starters in the game, Collins isn’t fazed by it.

“Since I was the DC at Western Carolina University, that’s what I’ve wanted to do. And me and coach Brown are aligned perfectly in that respect, and it’s so much fun to be around somebody that is a Hall of Famer that you’re so perfectly lined with how we want to roll guys in through the game.

“He just told the guys (after practice), ‘We’re not looking for starters, we’re looking for as many blue on the blue team as we can get.”

The first team is referred to as the “blue team,” so Brown would like to have as many players considered starters that fit the standard. Collins said they are trying to get to the 20-24 range of guys on defense they can trust in any situation.

*Collins believes the Tar Heels will have ten defensive linemen that can be trusted to play in the opener at Minnesota.

---He praised defensive lineman Jacolbe Cowan saying he’s “had a great preseason. He didn’t go through the spring, he’s had six, seven great practices.”

---“Beau Atkinson is playing at a very high level.”

---“Jaybron Harvey, Tyler Thompson… Joel Starlings, Rodney Lora. It’s been wonderful to get Josh Harris… He’s been a tremendous leader for the group.”

*Collins called Power Echols “a three-down backer at the next level.”

---Collins said Echols and Omarion Hampton spent ten minutes Sunday doing one-on-one pass rush with the linebackers. “They were working each other. It was really difficult for both of them, but they were challenging each other, pushing each other.”

---Collins also said that in his career, once he finished defensive meetings it was over. But he said now when he’s done, he turns it over to Echols, who speaks to the unit.

*After heaping high praise on Amare Campbell, Collins said they are looking for two or three other linebackers to make the rotation. It’s a good battle going on, as each player brings something to the table. This goes back to us noting how that room is far deeper now than at any time since Brown returned.

*Alijah Huzzie and Marcus Allen spoke a lot last week about them employing more press coverage, which Collins backed up. Music to the ears of UNC fans is that Collins wants to guard against “easy access” pass plays. That was one of Carolina’s weaknesses the last few years, and Collins is determined to cut those out.

“We can not allow easy access.”

*Kaleb Cost took part in only three practices in the spring because he was on the UNC baseball team. But it appears he has the inside track to starting at the star position, which is more nuanced under Collins than the role under Chizik. Collins spoke about Cost:

“He didn’t have a lot of time, but over the summer, how intelligent and how cerebral he is being able to play the star position. There’s so much that position has to do from a mentality standpoint, from a schematic standpoint, and having to cover a lot of people in long parts of the field. And he does a really nice job.”

---Collins noted that Ty White and Tre Miller “are also getting a ton of work there.”