CHAPEL HILL – Sam Howell and Drake Maye using a hard clap to start plays is what North Carolina fans have seen from the Tar Heels over the last four years.

They will still see some of that under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s direction, but not as much. And, UNC will use a cadence at times.

No more predictability, the Heels are going multiple when it comes to pre-snap sequences on offense.

“This year, it’s more of a cadence,” junior tight end John Copenhaver said.

Snap counts and cadences have pretty much run the gamut over time. In the early days, quarterbacks would bark “go” and later evolved into “hike” and “hut.” Sometimes, “hut, hut, hike,” was used.

For a long time, a full cadence may have been like this: “Down, set, hut one, hut two, hut three.” The quarterback would tell the offense in the huddle the play call and follow up with, “on three.” Meaning, the ball would be snapped on third “hut.”

Sometimes, other words were added before the “hut,” “hike,” and “go.”

When no-huddle offenses became the norm, however, cadences changed.

Plays were signaled in from the sidelines, and among myriad people gesturing like third-base coaches soaked in Red Bulls, offensive players knew what the play was and when the ball would be snapped.

Some teams, such as North Carolina in 2016 with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, employ a silent snap count. They knew when to go, and went.

Former UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo and a few backups quarterbacks and staff members signaled in play calls, but only one was the actual call. Hence, fans certainly recall seeing the offensive players racing to the line of scrimmage to run the next play, only to then stand there looking at the signals to know what play to run.

Lindsey wants to move faster, so his quarterback will get the play called from the sideline and then communicate it to his offense. A cadence will be intertwined, and off the Heels will go.

“We want to have ways to variate the snap count for sure,” Lindsey said. “I think you have to have ways, whether you’re going fast, whether you’re not going fast, whatever it is. Anytime things are new, some verbiage, you go through some growing pains with that… But we’re much, much better, and I think we’ll continue to improve on that.”

This was probably the biggest adjustment for the Tar Heels in learning Lindsey’s offense. Some of the pass routes are different, more power running has been installed, a slightly difference use of the tight ends might be noticeable, and more drops by the quarterbacks are part of the new-look Heels.

But it was a change in approach to snapping the ball that had the Heels a bit flustered early in spring practice. For the holdovers, of which there were many, it took some time.

“You go (four) years with the same offense going on the same count, and you switch it up,” Copenhaver said. “When you hear that first clap, some people are flinching a little bit, jumping a little bit.”

Getting on the same page with this was paramount for starting center Corey Gaynor and Maye, though it took time with them, too.

But to speed up the process, they had to quickly get it down. So, the tandem worked on it after hours.

“It’s all a learning curve,” Gaynor said. “Me and Drake get extra snaps because that’s who we are, and we want to establish because we’re both in this together. And the new snap count, we’re going to have to find out. I can’t say too much yet.”

By the time spring practice concluded, this wasn’t as much an issue anymore.

Maye likes the new approach. Anything to give the offense an advantage, even as slight as it might be at times. He will take it nonetheless.

“Trying to create a couple of different snap counts so we’re not just clapping and having the defense just tee off on us…,” he said. “Mix it up so we can have the offense off the line and trigger when they want to instead of having me clapping.”

Clapping, barking “Blue 52, Blue 52, set, hut,” or whatever the Heels employ during games, the mission is to generate more success.