Practice Numer One in the Books: Takes, Rotations and More

CHAPEL HILL – Football is finally, formally here, as North Carolina took the field for the first practice of the 2024 campaign Monday night, with the Tar Heels just more than four weeks from their season opener at Minnesota.

The Heels went for just under two hours, mixing in position group drills with various competitions between offensive and defensive lines, seven-on-seven, special teams, and some highly competitive 11-v-11 stuff.

THI was on hand for the Tar Heels’ workout, and here are some observations, notes, and takes from UNC Coach Mack Brown’s Q&A session with the media afterward:

*The Tar Heels have previously opened fall camp with morning practices, but with the second session of summer school having just entered finals, the first three practices were moved to the evening. Players’ finals are in the mornings this week.

*Every player on the roster was available for full duty Monday night except true freshman tight end Timothy Lawson, who is still recovering from major surgery last fall.

*The quarterback rotation was even with Conner Harrell and Max Johnson getting an equal number of snaps with the first and second team offenses. Jacolby Criswell was clearly the third QB, as he came after Harrell and Johnson in every drill. He did get a few reps with the first-team offense in 11-v-11, but that was it.

---Harrell and Johnson both made some nice throws. One by Johnson was with the lefthander rolling to his right and throwing right. He’s more mobile than many people assume.

---Both QBs also struggled some in the 11-v-11, especially with the offensive line allowing so much pressure from the defense. Much came right up the middle, forcing Harrell and Johnson to quickly react. It often concluded with them either trying to make a play downfield or throwing the ball away.

---Brown said he would like to have a starting QB determined and announced a week-to-ten days before the opener. That basically means two-and-a-half weeks, which is approximately 14 practices.

*The offensive line has numbers for sure, and Brown is confident this unit will be better than last season. It appears that may take some time, though it’s also not fair to read too much into one practice in which nobody was wearing pads other than helmets.

---Brown says they have eight offensive linemen and may have nine when they go to Minnesota. It appears that group is Austin Blaske, Willie Lampkin, Trevyon Green, Howard Sampson, Malik McGowan, Jonathan Adorno, Jakiah Leftwich, and Zach Greenberg. Zach Rice was not mentioned after practice by Brown, but our understanding is he’s in the running for inclusion in that group.

---Greenberg, who played at Division III Muhlenberg last season, was the second-team center, and did exceptionally well, Brown said. He was impressed Greenberg wasn’t overwhelmed or nervous, and that he went after it.

---First OL (LT-RT): Sampson; McGowan; Blaske; Lampkin; Green. Second OL: Leftwich; Adorno; Greenberg; Rice; Sutton.

*Kobe Paysour can post huge numbers if he stays healthy. He got in some side work with assistant strength and conditioning coach AJ Blue tonight, but he looked like his old self otherwise. Wide receiver is an impressive group with plenty of talent.

---WR first and second units in 11-v-11: First was Jones, McCollum, and Paysour. Second was Billups, Hamilton, and Taylor. Gavin Blackwell rolled in with the ones and twos, and Jordan Shipp got some reps as well. Shipp, by the way, looks the part big time.

*Tight end is again the team’s greatest strength, and should be better than last year, as Jake Johnson is an upgrade from Kamari Morales. The rotation there was Nesbit, Copenhaver, and Johnson. All three will play a lot, as there were two on the field during many offensive sets Monday night.

*Omarion Hampton is an All-American, everyone knows that, but behind him is a competition for RBs two and three. And it appears three and maybe four players will compete for those two spots.

---JC transfer Charleston French looked college ready, but didn’t quite pop. We need to see more of him. Caleb Hood is healthy and drew praise from Brown. Darwin Barlow brings experience and has embraced being a backup to Hampton. But as he did in the spring, true freshman Davion Gause radiates talent, and very well could end up being the second back on this team. He runs hard, low enough, and is super fast. He can catch passes, too.

---The RB order during drills: Hampton; Gause; Hood; Barlow; French; Byrd.

*Punter Tom Maginness had a poor spring and was made aware the staff looked for another punter, though they didn’t land one. True freshman Lucas Osada arrived highly decorated as a placekicker, kickoff specialist, and punter, and was slated to give Maginness a run for the job. One day in, and Brown was thoroughly pleased with Maginness, especially since he was kicking under pressure tonight, and will each day moving forward. He has a lot to prove.

*It didn’t take long to spot new defensive tackle Joshuah Harris, who spent four years at NC State before playing last season at Ole Miss. Harris wears No. 6, which looked quite small pressed against his 350-pound frame. Brown is pleased with Harris, says he likes him a lot and thinks he fits what the Heels do quite well. His goal weight is 340.

---Jacolbe Cowan was a surprise first-teamer up front. He also appeared not only slightly bigger than before, but also was quick off the snap in multiple drills.

---First DL: Evans; Hester; Cowan (Ritzie sprinkled in some). Second DL: Shaw; Harris; Atkinson.

*This team has plenty of actual linebackers in that room, and it was on display tonight. Some of the younger ones need to grow their bodies, but they still look like inside LBs. Brown said Power Echols will have limited full-contact reps so they can sort through the numbers with the goal of finding two or three players, behind Echols and Amare Campbell, that can be trusted to get reps at Minnesota. Brown really likes the unit a lot.

*Kaimon Rucker won’t do much hitting over the next month, as working in his backups will be a point of emphasis. In the spring, defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said using Beau Atkinson and Des Evans at times in the Rush role will happen. But neither lined up there Monday night. The order in drills and 11-v-11 after Rucker was Jaybron Harvey, Tyler Thompson, and Curtis Simpson.

---Harvey and Thompson look like different people from when they arrived, especially Thompson. It will be interesting to see if they get any quality game reps at Minnesota to see how ready they are. They looked it Monday night, but heavy caution on reading too much into a non-contact practice in late July.

*Brown said the team is much better and deeper at safety than any previous time since he returned. A mandate for this group is who can tackle in space, that’s a must for how the Heels will play. Plus, the safeties must handle one-on-one coverage situations that are surely headed their way this fall.

---He also noted that between Jakeen Harris (NC State transfer), Stick Lane, Will Hardy, and DeAndre Boykins, the unit has what it needs on the back end to handle all of its needs.

*Caleb Kost played baseball in the fall and took part in only three practices, but Brown can’t say enough positive things about him. It appears he will be the starter at star, which allows Boykins to play on the back end, but also subbing some at star.

*More positives from the head coach about the defense: With Marcus Allen and Alijah Huzzie at the corners, they comprise the best tandem on the edge of the Brown era. He gushed about Allen, notably how he’s so much bigger now.

---In watching Allen tonight, his competitive juices are on a different level. He takes every rep as seriously as if it’s a key moment in a tight game. He was more vocal out there tonight than previously.

Nobody really knows how potent this unit will be, because of the uncertainty up front and at quarterback. There are times when Harrell looks really good, and times when he is so-so. The same goes for Johnson, though it appears he has a broader range to his game right now.

---It was interesting to see the QBs line up under center a few times when not in tight situations. It could mean some more conventional play-action stuff is coming, which is a way they can use Hampton not only in the passing game, but sucking in linebackers that are uber focused on him and the ground attack.

If Collins is as good as he was at Mississippi State and Florida, his last two DC stops before becoming head coach at Temple and Georgia Tech, this should be a vastly improved defense. The bodies are everywhere. The experience is in most spots, and the scheme could play into the players’ strengths.

---Just watching tonight, the aggressiveness of the defense came from multiple spots and gave the offensive line total fits. Might it be due to the o-line not being ready? Possibly, and perhaps likely to a degree. But the d-line was different, and the movements certainly a departure from the bend-but-don’t-break approach Gene Chizik employed.