Paysour Ready The Next Step

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CHAPEL HILL – Kobe Paysour is ready.

He is ready to take on a big role in North Carolina’s passing game, and will certainly have that opportunity.

Paysour had some flare-ups a year ago, mainly when filling in at slot for Josh Downs when the prolific receiver missed two games with an injury and the Holiday Bowl after opting out. A 6-foot, 185-pound native of Kings Mountain, NC, Paysour made the most of it in those games.

In wins over Appalachian State, Georgia State, and the loss to Oregon in the bowl game, Paysour combined to catch 20 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns. He had seven receptions for 98 yards and a score versus the Ducks, who finished the season ranked No. 15 in the nation.

With Downs and Antoine Green off to the NFL, Paysour sees his time as now to step forward and produce every week, and he is using them as a template for future success.

“I feel like I grew just watching ’Toine and Josh,” he said. “How they play and how they approach the game, and how it affected me was me taking it more serious looking at the playbook and studying other defenses. That really helped me.”

Paysour is a shifty route-runner, and darts well with explosiveness once the ball is in his hands. He can go over the middle for the ball, deep, and has flare-for-the-dramatic instincts at the position. With that, improving and refining technical aspects have been a primary point of emphasis in the offseason.

“Trying to improve on my footwork, and playing outside receiver,” he said. “Having the correct steps and knowing defensive coverages and what they’re about to do before the snap.”

Outside receiver?

UNC used the transfer portal to bring in Tez Walker from Kent State and Nate McCollum from Georgia Tech to bolster the receiver room. Walker is a burn guy on the outside, but McCollum is more a slot in the mold of Downs, UNC Coach Mack Brown said this spring, when describing the former Yellow Jacket.

So, Paysour is getting work at all three receiver spots. Brown and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey have maintained since the beginning of spring practice they want the best pass catchers on the field together, even if that means a slot-first guy is playing wideout. So, Paysour has been getting reps everywhere all offseason.

“I’ve been playing both sides,” Paysour said. “Slot is my primary position, but playing outside, I’m getting used to it. It’s coming along. It’s kind of difficult; it’s more difficult than the slot with the coverage and you’ve got press. It’s different.”

With that, Paysour sees scenarios in which he and McCollum will be on the field at the same time, especially in Lindsey’s offense, that has slight differences from what the Tar Heels ran under Phil Longo, who left in December for the same job at Wisconsin.

“It depends on the personnel,” he said. “We’ve got different personnel, so me and him can both be in the field, sometimes we will swap – me being in, him being out, then I’ll be outside and him be in.”

Outside or inside, Paysour is going to be on the field for the Tar Heels. He has the talent, he has the moxie, he even has blue hair – the inside of his helmet had turned blue by the middle of spring practice – and Paysour is ready for his opportunity.