Mack Brown Pre-Spring Practice Presser, Notes & Quotes
CHAPEL HILL – Mack Brown and the North Carolina football team are still more than two weeks away from opening spring practice, but the Hall of Fame coach is ready to get going with two new assistants, a developing roster and greater expectations to meet than a year ago.
Brown met with the media Wednesday for 50 minutes and hit on a multitude of topics: New assistant coaches John Lilly and Jovan DeWitt, what he’s hearing from strength and conditioning coach Brown Hess about the newest Tar Heels and returning ones, position changes, what will be most emphasized during spring practice and so much more.
Here are some notes and quotes from Brown’s presser. Note that THI will roll out a few notebooks in the coming days zeroing in on more of what Brown had to say especially with respect to spring practice, which begins March 17 and concludes with the spring game April 18.
Notes & Quotes
*Brown noted a few position changes for the spring: Sophomore Asim Richards will open spring at left tackle while redshirt freshman Ty Murray and true freshman and early enrollee Jonathan Adorno will back up Brian Anderson at center.
*Thirteen players enrolled in January from the class of 2020 and some have already stood out. Brown cannot watch the players work out, but strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess is with the players almost daily in the weight room but also monitoring other activities. So Brown regularly gets Hess’ take on the players.
So, what early enrollees are standing out?
“I’ve also asked (strength and conditioning) coach (Scott) Hess about who just has really stood out for you with those early guys and he said Kedrick Bingley-Jones, Josh Downs and D.J. Jones have really caught his eye as far as work ethic and quickness and ability,” Brown said.
*Staying on the early enrollees, Brown said several newbies have already made significant progress in the weight room: DE Kedrick Bingley-Jones is up to 293 pounds; TE John Coppenhaver is up to 225 pounds and S Cameron Roseman-Sinclair is up to 201 pounds.
*TE Kendall Karr missed a lot of time during his senior season last fall, so Brown gave an update on him, also WR Tylee Craft, who was a 2-star prospect but came in early and has impressed.
“Right now, Kendall Karr is still working off of his knee and had a little set back with a hamstring,” Brown said. “So, hopefully he’ll be well and ready to go by the time we get back from spring break. You’ve got Tylee Craft and Stephen Gosnell that they said are doing a good job as they’re taller receivers outside.”
*What returning players did Brown say Hess has told him have stood?
“I also asked him to give me some names for you all of people that have stood out from our current team in the offseason work and Dyami Brown, EZ (Joshua Ezeudu), Michael Carter, Javonte Williams, Tomon Fox, Tomari Fox, Trey Morrison, Kyler McMichael and Kristian Varner, and they’re talking a lot about Kristian Varner.”
*Quarterback Jace Ruder played just a handful of snaps last fall before his season ended in late September. He suffered a slight setback returning to complete health, but could be ready for the start of spring practice.
“I’ve been told he will be by the time we go to spring,” Brown said. “I think it was a tweak, but I saw him walking yesterday and he’s jogging. So, they told me he’d be ready to go.”
*Brown is excited about recruiting for the class of 2021, especially with respect to the level of talent in North Carolina. UNC currently has five commitments from kids in the ’21 class, all of whom are from the Old North State. Two are 4-star prospects and three are 3-star kids. Nine in-state prospects made the recent Rivals250.
“We moved spring practice back two weeks because coach Hess wanted two more weeks with them in the weight room and in the running and agilities,” Brown said. “I wasn’t for it at first but he didn’t feel like, in his first year, he was able to get enough strength improvement and he wanted the two more weeks of consecutive work.”
*Last year, spring practice began March 4, but it was moved back two weeks this year at the request of Hess. It opens March 17.
“We moved spring practice back two weeks because coach Hess wanted two more weeks with them in the weight room and in the running and agilities,” Brown said. “I wasn’t for it at first but he didn’t feel like, in his first year, he was able to get enough strength improvement and he wanted the two more weeks of consecutive work.”