Gray, Ezeudu & Olson Talk Improvement, Their Games & More

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina held its 12th practice of fall camp Tuesday morning, and afterward, three Tar Heels were made available to the media to field questions.

Sophomore linebacker Cedric Gray, junior offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu, and sophomore wide receiver Justin Olson discussed their personal growth, what they are improved, and more.

Also note this practice effectively ends fall camp. Classes begin Wednesday and the team is off. It will move to its usual weekday morning practice time of 8 am Thursday.

Here are full video interviews with the three players along with some notes and pulled quotes from what they had to say:

*Cedric Gray played six snaps on defense a year ago, though he did see some time on special teams. This season, however, Gray could be the third inside linebacker for the Tar Heels, meaning if Jeremiah Gemmel or Eugene Asante go down or can’t go in a stretch for whatever reason, Gray could be the next man up. The sophomore from is ready, though. He has improved his game across the board, but what have been his personal points of emphasis?

“The biggest part of my game was definitely using my hands,” Gray said. “Playing linebacker in high school, we were just faster than all the linemen, you could just run past them. At this level, you can’t really get away with that. They’ve got good blocking schemes and all that, so it’s really just using my hands and keeping blockers off me is one of the biggest things I wanted to improve this offseason.”

*Gray has worked at both the MIKE and the WILL LB spots, with the MIKE a bit more challenging because that’s the guy responsible for making sure everyone is lined up properly and the team is in the right call. Jeremiah Gemmel is a rock in that spot right now and has been for two years, but he’s been teaching Gray, which jives with Gray’s cerebral nature.

“Jeremiah is like big brother to me,” Gray said. “Ever since I got here, he took me in, showed me the ways. Sometimes I go to his house just to play video games, and he’d be like, ‘Yo, let’s go over the playbook, let’s go over this play – what (do) you got in this?’ Testing me to see if I’m really in tune (and) to see my development.”

*One of the themes of fall camp, in particular the last week, is the growth of Gray’s game. He’s the biggest linebacker on the team at 225 pounds, but his teammates also speak about his quickness and speed. And with him getting into a position to where he can be trusted with a lengthy segment on the field, his confidence is meshing with those physical attributes.

“I’ve definitely improved my physicality all offseason…,” he said. “As far as the scheme, I really didn’t know much last year scheme-wise, so one of the biggest things this offseason was I really wanted to learn the playbook.

“I always felt that I had the talent, but at this level you need the mental part as well. So really just getting into the playbook and understanding the defense was one of my biggest goals.”

*Offensive line coach Stacy Searels said Tuesday Joshua Ezeudu is getting work at both tackle and both guard spots. His unique ability to handle all four makes him a terrific college player and a clear pro prospect. What is the key in training to play at a high level at all four positions?

“First, I think it starts with you have to know the whole offense inside and out,” Ezeudu said. “So, you can’t just learn what the right side does, you have to learn what the whole o-line does. Secondly, you have to have that confidence in yourself, ‘If I can move from right guard to left tackle but I’ll still be the same exact (player), that’s what I think.”

*Though just a junior, Ezeudu is a clear NFL prospect, so what is something he focused on that will make him a better player at UNC for this season, but also more of a prospect for the next level?

“I just really wanted to fine-tune everything, whether it’s run game, pass game, my sets, how I set, how I change up what type of sets on my run stances,” Ezeudu said. “I just wanted to fine-tune every single part of my game so I could come back and have a good year.”

*So, 12 days into fall camp, what parts of his game has Ezeudu seen clear improvement? And it should be noted that Searels said Ezeudu has routinely graded out the highest throughout camp.

“I would say my run blocking,” Ezeudu said. “I’m taking way better steps, I’m finding out where I should put my hands at in the run game.”

*Justin Olson was on the field for 68 offensive snaps last season, and he played some special teams, too, but his name has been frequently mentioned by teammates and coaches since fall camp started as one of the more unknown Tar Heels really stepping up.

A 6-foot-2, 200-pound sophomore from Charlotte, Olson says he can play multiple positions, and also gave some other reasons why his name keeps coming up in interviews.

“The first part of my game, I like to take the top off,” he said. “If you can take the top off and go deep then they have to respect that, which makes other routes easier, like the curls. I try to make every route look the same.

“I feel like I got better over time. My freshman year I was on the practice squad, so every day I’m practicing against Storm Duck, Trey Morrison was at cornerback then. Last year I was watching Dyami, I mean you can’t not get better watching Dyami (Brown) and Beau (Corrales) play. Now Tony (Grimes) is here, he’s doing great.

“The competition with all the people they’re bringing, coming in the class with Storm, that just helps you get so much better.”

*So where is Olson’s confidence right now, and when did he realize he had made a lot of progress and would be in the rotation?

“I feel like I’ve been chopping at the tree,” he said. “I started last fall, started knocking at it. But obviously, Dyami is Dyami, it’s that simple. So, I just had to wait my turn and keep learning from him.

“So, in the spring, I just went out there and tried to have a good spring. I ended up getting COVID about 10 days into practice, but I feel like I had a good spring. They keep telling me to stack up good days on top of good days and being consistent. My confidence from my teammates, they’re so supportive.”

*Olson is working outside and at slot. How does he see his skillset fitting into both positions?

“Well, I like to use speed, but growing up with brothers you’ve got to be tough,” Olson replied. “At slot, there’s so much going on. You’ve got linebackers crossing your face, you’ve got freak athletes like Ced (Cedric Gray) coming your way, so you have no choice but to be tough.

“So, I like how I feel like I can come in, really drop my shoulder and get my head in there. Watching Dazz last year; the guy’s a bowling ball, he’s so strong. He was small but he wasn’t scared to get in there. I like to use my speed, and when they have respect for my speed, like to drop out a route or really get pressed on them, which might make blocking easier.”