CHAPEL HILL – Aside from Jeremiah Gemmel, the rest of North Carolina’s middle linebackers have played a combined 222 snaps at the college football level.
That is not a lot, and on paper could suggest the Tar Heels have some questions there heading into fall camp, which begins Aug. 5. But gauging what some other Heels and coaches have said about the five guys comprising the group, UNC is in pretty good shape.
It would have been six players, but Khadry Jackson transferred following spring practice.
Gemmel is the mainstay and leader of the defense. A starter the last two seasons, he has played 1,620 snaps and has 162 tackles in that span. He is the quarterback of the defense and understands what everyone else on that side of the ball is supposed to do from snap to snap. He is almost like a coach out there, too.
But after him, Eugene Asante is the next most experienced middle linebacker with 214 snaps in his career, including 156 last season, of which 63 came in the Orange Bowl versus Texas A&M. Cedric Gray was in for eight plays last fall.
Ra Ra Dillworth and Power Echols are true freshmen that enrolled in January. Dillworth was a 4-star prospect ranked the No. 99 overall player nationally in the class of 2021 and Echols was also a 4-star prospect rated the No. 155 overall player nationally in the class.
The group is largely inexperienced, but oh-so talented.
“All those guys are playing well,” Brown said. “We’re really pleased with Ra Ra and Power. They’re playing ahead of what they should be playing… They’re playing ahead of where we thought they’d (be) playing at this time.
“And then you’ve got Cedric Gray, who’s playing well.”
The best way to gauge a degree of quality depth is to first have capable starters. Asante recorded 10 tackles in the Orange Bowl exploding his confidence and how he carries himself around the Kenan Football Center.
There’s a skip in his step because he knows he can get the job done versus the No. 5 team in the nation, which is what A&M was ranked, and against a highly physical team. Asante also gains confidence having Gemmel out there. It comforts him.
“Man, it’s great, just having Jeremiah out there,” Asante said. “At this point, I think Jeremiah has enough snaps to account for probably all the guys in our room. So, just having a guy like that next to me, understanding that he's so seasoned, he’s a veteran leader and he does everything that you would want of a leader.
“It's great to have him out there. That's my big brother and we talk every day. He pushes me and I push him as well and we're just trying to be the best tandem we can be.”
Replacing Chazz Surratt is not possible, but the Tar Heels marched forward in the spring without much thought to finding ways to make up for the All-American no longer around. These guys have plenty of mojo and natural talents, certainly more than the room has had since Mack Brown returned following the 2018 season, even with its inexperience.
And really, one can go back much further than that. This unit is built to play sideline-to-sideline football, to find the ball carrier and meet the ball carrier. They are designed to be heat-seeking missiles.
“Speed,” Gemmel said, when asked what is the biggest difference in his group now as opposed to when he arrived four years ago. “I feel like we're probably the fastest linebacker corps in the country, especially with those two additions to the linebacker corps. They have great speed, great tracking angles, and they're highly intelligent.
“I think that's what (defensive coordinator Jay) Bateman’s looking for and (linebackers) Coach (Tommy) Thig (Thigpen) are looking for when they're recruiting these linebackers. We're looking for guys who are highly intelligent, who can learn a really complex playbook, but also can run a 4.5, 4.4.”
What the Heels lack in game reps at middle linebacker they don’t for raw talent, instincts, and smarts for the position. There might be a few hiccups, but the potential for this group to develop into an elite group is certainly there.
And it could just be a matter of time before that happens.
