CHARLOTTE - Three of the five North Carolina players taking part in interviews Thursday at the ACC Kickoff were also part of the formal press conference.

Kaimon Rucker, Max Johnson, and Conner Harrell had seperate stints at the podium along with UNC Coach Mack Brown.

Below are the transcripts from what the theee Tar Heels had to say:

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Kaimon.

Q. You got a new defensive coordinator with Geoff Collins. What have you seen so far this off-season that's kind of let you know that this year will be different, a different defense from the Carolina of the past?

KAIMON RUCKER: For starters, man, I feel like day one when he hit the room, he set a standard for us. I feel in the past, haven't really set a standard for the defense.

Doesn't matter what conference you're in, what opponents you're facing the next week, everybody has their own little thing.

The thing is with us, we didn't never established a standard, we ain't never established a bar that we need to jump over, go over. I feel like the bar he set on day one is we want to be the best defense in college football.

From that day forward, that has been the mantra of our defense the entire time. Doesn't matter if it's winter workouts, summer workouts, conditioning, fall camp. That's something we need to hang our hat on.

That is something we need to firmly believe in if we want to be the defense we need be, the best one in college football. We need to be the defense everybody talks about, not because of how many rushing or passing yards we gave up, or how we performed in the past five years.

We need to be talk about because of what we can do, the talent we have in our defense, the hard work and determination we with the guys on our side. If we can do that, we can genuinely be the best defense in college football.

Q. To have a head coach like Mack Brown who has had so much experience, what does that mean to you to have his knowledge and wisdom on a daily basis?

KAIMON RUCKER: I mean, first off, man, I'm getting coached by a Hall of Famer, first off. You know what I'm saying? Won a national championship. I mean, you can't just get that anywhere. There's not a lot of places that can say that. For me to say that is truly an honor and a privilege.

For him stepping into his fifth year of coaching, my fifth year of playing, for the 2020 class to be his first recruiting class coming back, that is also another honor and a privilege. I'm glad to be part of the journey just as he's on his journey, as well.

Just to be really a part of the knowledge and the wisdom that he shares with our team each and every day, team meetings, practice, outside of everything. It's just like I said, I can't say nothing because it's an honor and privilege.

This is a guy that not only has given me a shot when a lot of Power Five programs didn't offer me out of high school, he took a shot on me. Nobody else did but him. He trusted me early on. Before I even had trust in myself, he trusted me.

Just to learn from him, to grow up with him really, just to learn from him each and every day, the X's and O's of football, also life in general. Like he said it's not a four-year decision, it's a 40-year decision.

For him to set me up in life, allowing me to be the person that I am on the field, off the field, get involved with the community, utilizing NIL not only for my own purposes, helping out in the community, serving others, obviously everybody else that benefits from that as well, teaching us life lessons every single day.

For Coach Brown to still be here, still pushing it, still going hard as if he was back in his first year of coaching, man, is truly an honor and a privilege.

Coach Brown, I appreciate you for trusting me, allowing me to stay this long, and me being a part of the journey with you. I love you and appreciate you for that.

Q. (No microphone.)

KAIMON RUCKER: Since we're on the topic of NIL (smiling).

It was about a couple of months ago, a month ago, I went back to my hometown. This is a bunch of fifth graders at my elementary school, fifth graders that are going into the sixth grade. Anybody who has children going into the fifth grade, particularly boys, they go through a lot of bodily anatomically changes.

So I utilized my NIL. I purchased book bags, different hygienics such as deodorant, little bags of cologne. I kind of branched out with my Ruck the Butcher merch, as well. If you all feel generous as well, ruckthebutcher.com.

All jokes aside, I want to help them out with their hygienics as well. This is a very big change in their lives. I feel like there's important changes in people's lives, that's transitioning from school, transitioning to another level of K through 12, transitioning into college, and from college to the reeled world.

I utilized my NIL to help them in their first stage of their life going from essentially being a boy to a young adult, going into that level in their lives where they start holding accountability and responsibility, and of course taking care of their body along the way.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Max.

Q. How much do you lean on your dad's experience, Super Bowl quarterback, but also a Florida State quarterback?

MAX JOHNSON: Yeah, I think he's been through so many experiences in his life that I've been able to learn so much from him. He's taught me never get too high, never get too low, lean on your guys. You got to be a leader in the good times and the bad times.

Everybody experiences those throughout their career, high school, college, NFL. I've been able to learn so much from him. I've gained so much wisdom from just some of the things he's taught me, so...

Q. You've had a journey, the transfer portal, LSU, Texas A&M, now to North Carolina. To someone who maybe is in a place where it's not the right fit, what type of wisdom and knowledge can you share about the portal and how to handle the re-recruitment of college football?

MAX JOHNSON: I think the transfer portal is a big part of college football now. You see Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray, so many big-time guys transfer from school to school.

I think being at Carolina with Coach Brown, all these great players around me, I'm so excited for the opportunity, I'm so blessed to be able to be here.

It's a tough time being in the portal. You're getting phone calls every single day. For me it was just finding the best fit for me, building the relationship with these guys and Coach Brown was so important for me.

Q. At the end of it all, all the phone calls, what made UNC the right choice?

MAX JOHNSON: I think watching the guys coming here such as Sam Howell and Drake Maye, the success they had here. Just the type of offense that is run here.

Coach Lindsey has done a great job, like Conner said, working to everybody's strengths. I've kind of fit in really well here. I've met some great guys, great friends.

For me, this is the place where I wanted to be coming out of the portal. Of course, I got other phone calls, but this was my first choice. This is where I want to be and I'm looking forward to this year.

Q. You came into UNC looking at this receiving group. What stood out to you the most of why you wanted to come and play at UNC?

MAX JOHNSON: I mean, we got some dudes at receiver. J.J. is one of them, No. 5, a baller. We got some dudes out there.

I can name every single one of them, but I don't want to highlight any certain guy because we got a bunch of studs. Each guy can take a slant to the crib. I'm looking forward to working with them this fall camp, so...

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Conner.

Q. You were a valedictorian, you gave the speech at graduation, yes?

CONNER HARRELL: There were a couple of valedictorians. I did not give a speech. I remember a girl, Abby McGhee, gave a speech. I did not.

Q. To be on a team where not only you're competing for the job at quarterback, but Max is here with you today, that relationship that you both have to be competitive but to also be family.

CONNER HARRELL: Yes, sir. Obviously I get asked this question a lot. I always say, me and Max are the only people in the world going through this situation with these coaches and with this team. Obviously it brings you closer. We're together all the time, working together, trying to figure out how to make the team better. That brings you closer.

I think the end goal is we want to win a championship. That creates a bond, so...

Q. In these kind of quarterback competitions, we hear this guy versus this guy. What are you learning from Max and what do you think he can learn from you?

CONNER HARRELL: Obviously Max has played a lot of football. He has a lot of experiences, different receivers, a lot of good stories about different guys, LSU, behind Joe Burrow and stuff. He's had a lot of experiences that I can learn from. He's learned from a lot of different guys.

Whether that's pocket presence or me just unconsciously picking up good things that he does, with him not even saying anything, is invaluable when you're going against a really good player, so...

Q. This year on offense you guys got a lot of talent, running back, receivers. How has that helped you and the other quarterbacks kind of get acclimated to the offense, just gelling the offense together?

CONNER HARRELL: Yeah, we have, I think, really good players in every position. Tight end, receiver and running back. Leaning on all those guys to help us succeed in the spring, the summer, becoming closer in every position.

I think it's going to be important to use everybody, every position. Just trying to get the most out of everybody, so...

Q. In high school you were a team captain. Are you a vocal leader or a lead-by-example leader?

CONNER HARRELL: I think both. I think I've done a lot better job of becoming vocal this year. I've been trying to make that a focal point in my leadership, talking more. Guys respond when you're talking to 'em, and you're speaking to 'em. There's a lot of effect that can have on younger guys, freshmen, if I have a conversation with them, have dinner with them. I've been trying to get better at it. I think I've become a lot more of a vocal leader this year.

Q. What is it about UNC, about the coaches that allow the quarterbacks to be successful and give you the opportunity to be following that next line of past UNC quarterbacks?

CONNER HARRELL: Yeah, I mean, I think it starts with recruiting. Coach Brown is always going to recruit great guys, great humans, great players. Sam and Drake are great guys. The offense really plays to their strengths. I think that's a huge thing, we all have different strengths, different abilities, different talents. Being able to cater to what we do best is very important. I think we've done a really good job of that the last few years. I think we'll continue to do a good job of that.