Longo On Expanded TE Role, Chandler, Downs, Triple Python & More

CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Phil Longo met with the media via zoom following the Tar Heels’ practice Saturday morning to field questions about his offense, quarterback Sam Howell, the battle for the backup spot to Howell, and more.

It was UNC’s third practice of fall camp and, as Longo noted, the next-to-last day before the offense is fully installed.

Above is the full video of Longo’s presser and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:

*Super senior tight end Garrett Walston said Friday he hopes and expects to have a bigger role in UNC’s passing game this season. It’s one of the reasons he returned. Walston caught 19 passes for 255 yards and two TDs a year ago, so does Longo see Walston as having a bigger role this fall?

“They’ve (tight end) have done what we’ve asked of them the last two years, but it (their role) will definitely expand,” Longo said. “When you lose two weapons in the backfield like Javonte (Williams) and Michael (Carter), we would hope, as anybody would, that we replace those two with two more really prolific running backs. We don’t know who those two yet.

“We feel like we’ve got one right now that we’re really comfortable with. The others are really, really talented and they’re all competing for that second and third spot. But I think early on we’re going to expect more production from the tight end spot because, one, we need it, and two, I think Garrett Walston and Kamari Morales, particularly those two, have put themselves in a position where they have established themselves as bigger weapons athletically and systematically than they have been in the past.”

Longo went on to note how Walston is “more competent in the box,” better at all blocking needs, and has done a great job developing his body.

*Staying with the passing game, Josh Downs is a name every UNC fan likely will know quite well by the middle of October. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Downs was thrust into a major role for UNC’s game versus Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl in January and he came through big time. Downs caught four passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns. He has a flare for the dramatic and plays with the kind of moxie big-time teams usually have at receiver.

Longo heaped very high praise on the sophomore from Suwanee, GA.

“I smile every time I hear Josh Downs’ name because this is a guy, as cliched as this sounds, he’s done a good very job of getting every single day that he’s here,” Longo said. “And when you’re a player like Josh Downs, who has such tremendous upside, it’s a lot of fun watching a guy develop and you think, ‘Hey man, he’s really good and can’t get much better,’ but he can.

“So, every day we do a little bit more with him… A lot of tweaks (to the offense) are going to our skill players. They’re going to be to our Josh Downses, our Ty Chandlers, our Antoine Greens, the Garrett Walstons.

“(Downs) he has given us a very similar weapon that we had in Dazz Newsome. And as much as we miss Dazz right now and we wish him really well in Chicago, we’re excited that we can continue to do a lot of the things we’re doing in the slot position because Josh has been able to pretty much match production that we had last year so far.”

*Ty Chandler came to UNC after rushing for more than 2,000 yards in four seasons at Tennessee because the Carolina staff expressed a serious need in having an older guy in that room, so they brought in Chandler. But he was still the new guy, so how has he handled the role of being a leader-by-example but also a talker even though he’s only been in Chapel Hill for about eight months?

“Ty is obviously the veteran in that room and he’s kind of behaved that way throughout the spring and now in camp,” Longo said. “He’s running with the first team right now. I think he’s done a phenomenal job getting to know a new system. One of the advantages that the other guys had is that they’ve already been here and they knew the system.

“So outside of the true freshmen, I think he’s done a good job of assimilating himself and learning it, and now you’re starting to see the veteran leadership in that room. It’s kind of hard to go be the leader and be the front-runner and be that guy when you’re learning, but I think he’s probably beyond that now and we’re starting to feel his presence as a veteran with the running backs.”

*Triple Python, Really? Sam Howell said Thursday he has taken on more of a role in game-planning and what plays to keep, tweak, and even throw out. On those lines, Howell has been pushing for one specific play for Longo to finally sign off on that could be a lot of fun. After all, players love fun, sometimes eccentric plays. Longo expounded on this.

“He’s been pushing ‘Triple Python,’ and I’m not about to tell you what that is, but he’s been pushing that for three years,” Longo said, smiling. “I have not been very, very open to it because we’re not ready for that stuff.

“Well, this year, I sent him a picture and texted it to him, (and) we’re taking a look at it right now. It’s a good play for us and we have the talent to do it. He has the understanding of how to execute it. So it’s fun getting everybody’s ideas as long as it fits the system and will help us win the game on Saturday.”