CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina sophomore wide receiver Emery Simmons is looking to make his mark after a freshman season full of growing pains.

A standout at Southview High School in Fayetteville, NC, Simmons arrived in Chapel Hill in January 2019 as the No. 27 player in the state and No. 89 wide receiver in the 2019 class. Expectations were understandably high for Simmons, making the transition to the college level that much more difficult.

“What was missing from last year was my confidence…,” Simmons recently said. “Just going from being the guy or the superstar of my high school to coming into college football, the speed of the game changes so dramatically.”

Not only did Simmons have to adjust to an entirely new level of football, he had to compete with two 1,000-yard receivers in Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome and veteran guys like Beau Corrales and Toe Groves. While competing against experienced wideouts made playing time more difficult to earn, it did help him grow as a player in more ways than one.

“I realized that high school football is completely different from college football, but it was a great experience for me to come here early, get the flow of things,” Simmons said. “I understood what was going on at the time and I just had to play that role.”

Despite the number of quality receivers the Heels possess, Simmons said each player in that room is solely focused on making the player beside them better.

“We coach each other, even I coach up veterans on some of the things I saw,” Simmons said. “It’s just all about getting better. We want this receiving core to be the best in the nation, so we’re all looking to help each other.”

Steep learning curves and the plethora of talent in front of him aside, Simmons still managed to see the field last year, appearing in 11 games for the Tar Heels. The Parkton, NC, native finished the season with four receptions for 72 yards and one touchdown, which came on a 33-yard pass from Simmons’ roommate, Sam Howell, in the home finale against Mercer.

Now in his second fall camp at UNC, Simmons is looking to take the next step and make a bigger impact on the field than he did in 2019. Simmons has also put the necessary work in during the off-season to make sure he’s ready when his number is called.

“I just wanted to constantly work just in case we did have a season,” Simmons said. “I worked out seven days a week, three times a day just to make sure I was at the top of my game.”

An honest player, Simmons knew exactly what aspects of his game he needed to focus on before fall camp kicked off.

“For the most part, I was working on releases and just catching the ball and just running deep routes,” he said. “Short routes I felt like I was OK at, but my deep routes I felt like I needed to get better at catching deep balls.”

Faster, stronger and more prepared than he was this time a year ago, Simmons has all the tools to be a key part of UNC’s wide receiver rotation this season. He’s learned from his freshman campaign, worked hard in the off-season and is ready to make his mark because of it.

“Now that I’ve gotten used to everything, I understand the game a lot more and stuff is coming to me faster,” Simmons said. “I feel like now, this year, is going to be a bigger jump.”

Growing pains in the rearview, Simmons is ready to go, and that can only be a good thing for one of the most talented wide receiver corps in America.