CHAPEL HILL – Smelling players’ breath? Fights? Taylor Swift?

One of the fun things about covering fall camp for a college football team are the myriad storylines that pop up; some intended and some unintendedly.

So, after the first few days of practices for North Carolina, we bring to you a regular feature item we will run throughout the year for both football and basketball. Here, we look at some interesting topics that came up with the Tar Heels this week, as well as offering up some sounds from practice.

Football players fight. So, with UNC’s defense entering fall camp with a collective chip on its shoulders, the unit has been physical out of the gate, even with the team in thud the first three days of practice. Their competitiveness has been quite clear, and at times led to altercations on the field.

“I don’t know if y’all watched practice today, (but) we got into a couple of scuffles with them,” tight end Kamari Morales said following Thursday’s workout. “But it’s going to be like that. I don’t want nothing else but that. The defense is a whole lot (more) competitive; it’s not the same defense you all saw last year.”

Scuffles in practice are actually a good thing, Morales said, and anyone who has played the game fully understands. Coaches don’t mind it, and in most cases once it’s over, it’s over and players move on with no issues.

“Yeah, man, it’s a football field. We gonna go to war then we gonna go get in tat cold tub, go eat lunch, and laugh at each other. That’s just the way it is. These guys are like my family. Brothers fight, and then we’re gonna come right back out here and go again tomorrow.”

Senior jack/outside linebacker Kaimon Rucker agreed scrapping during practice won’t adversely impact team chemistry.

“Nah, nah, nah, nah. It’s a competitive nature, man,” he said. “We are all competitive and we just want to get better, and in the heat of the battle, things happen, sparks fly. So, it’s just normal, it’s nothing new. There’s no ill-intention, no love lost. We’ll get into a scuffle out here on the (field) and head back to the locker room like nothing happened.”

Aside from the horn blaring at the end of each 5-minute period, of which there were 17 in UNC’s first practice Wednesday, whistles and coaches yelling can be heard, along with occasional music playing.

So, what did we hear at practice? Here are some samples:

*UNC Coach Mack Brown: “TV timeout, Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate”

*Brown: “Get with your coaches. Simulate halftime.”

*Strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess screaming after the 15th period: “Fourth quarter, fourth quarter, fourth quarter.” He and most of the players walked to their next stations holding four fingers up in the air.

*Co-defensive coordinator and defensive back coach Charlton Warren drilling the DBs on technique: “You’re not helping us, go play kicker or (shiQ).”

*In a drill, defensive lineman coach Tim Cross, “Step on his toes and smell his breath”

Taylor Swifts mega summer concert tour was all the rage over the last couple of months. Diehard Swift fans are called “Swifties,” which includes a member of the media who was at practice Thursday.

So, after getting some razzing by the other members of the media when junior linebacker Power Echols walked up ready for his interview, the hard-hitting Charlotte native was asked if he likes the pop star.

“Ah ah,” Echols said, smiling but almost as if he was offended by the question.

Morales was also asked, and initially appeared even more taken aback, frowning after being asked if he was a fan.

“What,” he said. “I don’t know one song… What’s her most famous song?”

After part of “Shake it Off” was sung by the Swift fan among the media, Morales reacted, “Oh yeah, yeah. I don’t listen to it.”

What about Rucker?

“Do I like Taylor Swift? I don’t listen to her like that,” he said, grinning. “I know it’s a hot take, I apologize.”

After the media explained to Rucker why the question was being asked, he replied, “It’s okay being a Swifty. It’s okay being a Swifty, I understand.”

Would Rucker be opposed to having a Taylor Swift song blaring in the locker room to hype up the team?

“So, um, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, again smiling.