CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina Running Backs Coach Larry Porter spent about 13 minutes fielding questions from the media following the Tar Heels’ seventh practice of fall camp Thursday.
Porter went into depth about the running backs in his room, beginning with Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler, but also the other players battling to be in UNC’s rotation. Porter was also asked what his role is in helping Jovan Dewitt with special teams.
Above is the full video Q&A session with Porter, and below are several notes and quotes from what he had to say:
*By now, it isn’t any secret to UNC fans that Ty Chandler, the transfer from Tennessee, is the starting running back and will play a major role when the Tar Heels open the season at Virginia Tech. But how the rest of the rotation shapes out remains a question. So, Porter was asked about the other backs he’s coaching.
With the Tar Heels holding their first scrimmage this Saturday, that could go a long way in helping to shake out the pecking order in that room.
“Coach (Phil) Longo, his theme is ‘don’t blink,’ so we play with a tremendous amount of tempo,” Porter said. “And in order to do that we’re going to need some other guys. So, every day, we’re pushing every single guy in that room to truly play at a high standard. And through that process, we can get two or three extra guys that are in position to play. So that’s where we are.
“We have two experienced guys in British (Brooks) and Josh (Henderson), we also have some young guys in terms of Elijah (Green), D.J. (Jones), and Caleb Hood. And things are starting to sort themselves out, and I’m truly looking forward to this Saturday when we get an opportunity to scrimmage. I think that’s going to be separation Saturday for a lot of guys.
“Things are pointing toward Saturday for us from the standpoint of us truly starting to divide the depth chart and getting ready for our preparation for our first game.”
*One young player who has made an impression on Porter and the staff is freshman Caleb Hood, who was a quarterback in high school but transitioned to running back the minute he stepped on campus last January.
“He’s not disappointed us,” Porter said. “He’s been a pleasant surprise. He’s trending upward in a very, very fast way. He’s a young man, from day one, he came in and completely understood what he needs to do to put himself in position to play, which is learn the offense, and he was very, very aggressive in doing so.
“So as the spring begun and we got going, you could tell that he had really been studying because his mistakes were very minimal. But also, it was the experience that was lacking, but he’s gained confidence as he’s gotten more experience with each run, each protection, each passing concept, and I think that going forward from a future standpoint, he’s going to be a joy to watch. I really do believe that, and we’re very happy to have him.”
*Running backs have been a big part of the passing game the last two seasons, with Michael Carter and Javonte Williams each catching 25 passes last season. So, what does Porter see as the potential in the passing game from his group?
“You guys know Coach Longo, he’s going to throw it as long as there’s leather on the ball,” Porter said, smiling. “As a group, he’s put us in a situation to one, identify the personnel that can truly help us in the passing game, hut also grow them as well. So as long as we continue from that perspective, I think they’ll be a very vital part of the passing game.”
*A big part in the passing game is getting protection from whatever running back is on the field. That is one of the reasons Chandler was brought in, he’s a proven pass protector. But the rest of the guys have very limited game experience in that respect, so where is the rest of the group with respect to pass protection?
“That is a great question because that is a very, very important piece to what we do here,” Porter said. “And from a running back perspective, it’s very vital if you want to see the field. Coming out of spring, if you would have asked me that question, I would have told you we were still in the process of evaluating that.
“But, through seven practices, I’m starting to get an idea of who can and who can’t and what I need to do to address each guy to continue to improve our pass protection. If you’re going to play running back, that is something that’s mandatory, that’s non-negotiable. Each guy has taken the challenge and we just continue to, one, drill it individually but also put them in situations to expose them to see how they handle it.
“At this point, I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m satisfied, but we are making progress.”
*D.J. Jones likely would have started the Orange Bowl last January had he been healthy and able to play. So, with expectations he is the most likely candidate in the room to join Chandler in the rotation, what has Porter seen from Jones so far?
“The first thing is to get him out there to the field and keep him healthy,” Porter said. “And to this point, he’s practiced basically every day, so that’s the foundation. He’s also gotten better each and every day and each and every practice I’ve seen something that I hadn’t seen (from Jones).
“So, as long we can continue to see that and continue to get him to trend upwards, I think his future can be bright… And because he’s practicing every day you can see the growth.”