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Gemmel On Himself, Surprise Players, Backup QBs & More

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina senior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel met with the media Thursday following the Tar Heels’ 10th practice of the spring to field questions about his improvements, various position groups on the team, and if he has thought about becoming a coach when he’s finished playing football.

As always, really interesting stuff from the quarterback of UNC’s defense. Here are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:


*Gemmel has started every game the last two seasons for the Tar Heels playing 1,620 snaps. He has racked up 163 tackles and is relied on heavily by defensive coordinator Jay Bateman to call the signals and be aware of where each teammate is supposed to be on every call.

So, what has Gemmel focused on this offseason to improve his game as he heads toward his senior campaign?

“I wanted to work with being better in coverage with our WICK coverages when we’re wicking the inside (WILL to C) receiver,” he explained. “Most of the time, it’s someone who is quick, shifty, like a Josh Downs or like a Dazz Newsome. I wanted to be a lot better in my coverage and communicating with the backside boundary safety more in some of our coverages.


“Really, out of all the coverages and some of the calls we have, sometimes the boundary safety – I know what most people are doing, but most of the time I’m a little confused with the boundary safety, and sometimes we have to communicate…


“I think I improved on that by sitting down and meeting with the boundary safeties, because I’m sitting there in film and I’m looking at some of the boundary coverages and reading it and reading it and I can’t really understand it unless I have a boundary safety in there watching the tape with me. So, having Gio (Biggers), Don Chapman, Ja’Qurious Conley’s moving back to boundary safety, just having them in there talking with me… has helped me.”



*Gemmel heaped a ton of praise Thursday on sophomore hybrid DE/OLB Kaimon Rucker, who had a solid freshman season last fall registering 21 tackles, including a sack, while playing 193 snaps.

“He’s having a great spring,” Gemmel said. “He’s taking steps and steps forward in the run game, but also in the passing game where we have to drop our rushers and they have to cover. I’ve seen him drop 25, 30 yards the other day and took an over route to help a corner who was locked on on the backside. That’s steps ahead from where he was in the season.

“He’s going to be a great player for us. He’s going to play a lot more snaps for us than he did last year. He’s an every-down guy. He can rush, get to the passer. Some people look at him, he’s a little bit smaller than some of our outside backers and a little bit smaller than our d-linemen, but when he’s in a 4I or he’s outside playing a nine technique, he’s really good at setting the edge and not moving his body.”


*Gemmel would like to be a coach after his playing days are over, and he often sounds like a coach when speaking. He also is keenly aware of what each teammate does well and must work on. So, adding that he has gone up against backup quarterbacks Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye, what qualities does he see from both QBs?

“What I can say about both of them, the ball jumps off their hands,” Gemmel said. “When they’re throwing their deep balls and they’re throwing it 55 yards, 60 yards downfield, it looks effortless. I can say that about all our quarterbacks. Great arms, great ball placement.

“They were running satellite routes today where the number two receiver was skimming and then run outside the numbers, and they were putting the ball perfectly over the shoulder dropping it in the bucket. Great QB room.

“And I think Drake is just now really getting to comprehend what Longo wants out of certain personnel and certain groups.”


*More observations from one of the most aware players on Carolina’s roster, what five players have stood out to him this spring and why?

“If I had to give you my five right now throughout these practices, I’m going to give you Josh Downs – Josh Downs is looking great in practice. He’s battling through a bum ankle and he still looks great speed, great cuts, in and out. I think he’s going to be a great receiver for us this year…

“Kaimon Rucker, obviously like I said, and I can say Jahlil Taylor and Clyde Pinder have both taken big steps forward. Jahlil’s lost about 20-25 pounds and you can tell, you can see it on tape like when we’re in certain fronts and he has to cut the ball off, his first step and first two steps are so much quicker than when he was a little bit heavier… Before he was like 320, 325 and he couldn’t move as well.

“One more, I would have to say Deandre Hollins. Since the start of spring, I feel like he’s really been battling to try to get in there and be one of our top corners, and he’s battling to try to be that starting corner out there. He’s getting better every day, had a couple of picks today on seven-on-seven. I keep seeing great stuff from him.”


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