Howell, Gemmel & Fox Talk Opt Outs, Opportunity & More

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina was back at practice Monday in preparation for the Orange Bowl versus Texas A&M on Jan. 2 in Miami, and afterward, three Tar Heels were made available to field questions from the media.

Among the topics were getting their thoughts on the teammates who have opted out of the bowl game, being selected for such a prestigious bowl, and other things.

Here are full video interviews with Sam Howell, Jeremiah Gemmel and Tomon Fox along with some notes and pulled quotes:

*The Tar Heels won’t have two of their biggest playmakers for the Orange Bowl, as wide receiver Dyami Brown has entered his name in the NFL draft and won’t play in the bowl along with senior running back Michael Carter. The Heels would love to have the only receiver in UNC history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons and the latest back to run for 1,000 or more yards in consecutive seasons, but will have to do without.

“Obviously, we wish we had them with us going down there to Miami. But, at the end of the day, they made a decision they thought was best for them,” UNC QB Sam Howell said. “As a team, we respect that. We love all those guys, they're all really good teammates, they're three great teammates. So I mean, we definitely wish we had them with us, but at the end of the day, they did what was best for them and we just have to respect that.”

*More on Brown and Carter. They’re not only teammates but have become close friends with Howell. But it also means some other players will get a chance to fill their shoes.

“They're both just great players and great guys and they're both the leaders of their position group,” Howell said. “Michael Carter’s basically the heart of this football team, so losing him is definitely a big loss. But, we have a lot of guys that are gonna have to step up now, kind of take more vocal roles and more leadership roles because those two guys are two of our main leaders, especially on the offensive side of the ball. So, we really just need some more guys to step up.”

*At the same time, Howell is looking forward to seeing how some other players handle an increased role.

“It definitely is exciting,” he said. “In both of those rooms, in the receiver and the running back room, we have a lot of really good players that really haven't had a lot of opportunities to play just because the starters have been so good. So yeah, it's a great opportunity for those guys to step up and we really don't know exactly who's going to be fulfilling those spots.

“So, there's a lot of room for competition going on these next few weeks, so it's definitely very exciting. And it kind of gives a little preview of next year, what it’s gonna be like without some of these guys on our offense. So, it definitely is exciting for those younger guys to have a chance to compete and show us what they’ve got.”

*Jeremiah Gemmel has played alongside Chazz Surratt at linebacker the last two seasons. This season, they led the UNC defense in snaps played with 732 (Surratt) to 731 (Gemmel). Over the last two campaigns, they played 1,476 snaps together. Gemmel had plenty to say about Surratt on Monday.

“For me personally, playing linebacker, every time I walked on the field to go play, Chazz was right there beside me,” Gemmel said. “Maybe he didn't play as much early on in the season last year. But, for the most part the whole season, he’s been there right beside me the whole time. That's my brother, that's a man I've been going to war with for two straight years, so words can't really put in or describe how much that man means to me.

“He's my wingman. Anytime I wasn't on the right page or he wasn't on the right page, he was a security blanket I could always look to and check on a call and make sure if the call is right. And also, not even that, but we had a good time off the field.

“We laughed, we cut up, we joked off the field and I feel like everything we learned off the field and all the relationships we had off the field carried onto the field.”

*That said, Gemmel is also looking to the future of the program, and he’s excited to see what Eugene Asante can do in Surratt’s place.

“Honestly, I'm excited to see what Eugene Asante is gonna do on January 2 because seeing him, especially this past year in fall camp and over the season between our breaks scrimmaging against the offense, he looks really good,” Gemmel said. “His speed, his covering hitting, him blitzing and hitting holes. So, I’m excited to see Eugene go out there and play, I know he's excited too.”

*Tomon Fox is going to miss playing with Surratt, too. He chased him around in practice their first couple of years in Chapel Hill, but they’ve been warrior-mates on defense the last two seasons.

“Chazz is an impact player overall, both on and off the field,” Fox said. “Even when he was on the offensive side of the ball, me and him were always close. He’s a huge competitor, he pushes everybody around him to get to that next level, to be great for the football team.

“So, I felt like he was like one part of the heart of the team I would say, especially the defensive side of the ball, and we just appreciate everything that he's done for us.”

*When players opt out of a game like this, it opens opportunities for younger ones to step up, and that intrigues Fox.

“It’s really good,” he said. “I'm excited to see some of the young guys step up. It kind of gives you a glimpse of what's gonna happen next year. So, I feel like it's gonna be a huge step for them to get some good game experience, some starting experience actually. And then it prepares them for next year.”

*Jacob Turner contributed to this report.