Spring Practice Report: Richards, Murphy & Rucker

CHAPEL HILL - Offensive lineman Asim Richards, defensive lineman Myles Murphy, and outside linebacker Kaimon Rucker all met with the media via Zoom following North Carolina’s eighth practice of the spring on Saturday morning in Kenan Stadium, which was open to the public.

The Tar Heels practiced for around 30 minutes before scrimmaging for just about an hour.

Among the topics discussed were depth on the offensive line, the linebacker position, goals for the upcoming season and much more.

Below are the full videos of their Q&A sessions along with some pulled notes and quotes from what they had to say:

*With Carolina returning all five of its starters on the offensive line, the battle for the backup spots has been heating up this spring.

UNC Coach Mack Brown and offensive coordinator Phil Longo have said multiple times this spring that they just about feel comfortable playing eight different guys across the line and are aiming to get to 10 before the season starts in the fall.

Richards, who started in 11 of the Tar Heels’ 12 games last season and played 730 snaps, which was second most on the offensive line behind Marcus McKethan’s 808, said the number of players they are able to rotate on the line is a big confidence booster for the group as a whole.

“Last year, we were a good o-line, and I feel like just adding more depth is gonna make us even better,” Richards said. “All of us, the starters, we got a lot better this offseason and, in the spring, it’s shown.”

A handful of underclassmen, and one upperclassmen in particular, have stood out to Richards so far this spring.

“The young guys like Cayden Baker, Jonathan Adorno and Quiron Johnson, he played a lot, he’s not necessarily a young guy, but he's dominant. So, I feel like we're gonna have a lot of depth and just be even better than we were last year.”

*Depth was a big issue for the Tar Heels on the offensive line last season especially, with all five starters playing at least 654 snaps during the season.

Besides McKethan’s 808 and Richards’ 730 snaps, center Brian Anderson played 722, right tackle Jordan Tucker played 700 and left guard Joshua Ezeudu played 654.

Behind those five, Montilus played 371 and Quiron Johnson played 268, while the other 10 lineman that saw action only played a combined 181 snaps.

So, were there games last season where Richards and the other starters were worn out, particularly in the fourth quarter?

“Yeah, sometimes,” Richards said. “Honestly, I got a little bit of rotation with Joshua Ezeudu and Ed Montilus. So, I wasn't necessarily worn down, but I’d say Jordan Tucker and Marcus McKethan were a little more worn down than we were because we had a rotation going on.

“But now more guys are stepping up, they have a better rotation. It’s just better for all of us.”

*Murphy was all over the field during UNC’s scrimmage on Saturday, making plays at the line of scrimmage and disrupting a handful of plays in the backfield.

The sophomore played in all 12 games for the Tar Heels as a true freshman in 2020, tallying eight tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack and one hurry. In total, Murphy played 187 snaps.

As Murphy aims to make an even bigger impact on Carolina’s defensive line this fall, what are his ultimate goals for the upcoming season?

“I’m trying to really have a good breakout year this year,” Murphy said. “It’s like, I really want this, that's why I'm really trying to work hard. I’m really trying to have a breakout year this year.”

And does Murphy feel any pressure to prove himself this spring, especially with the amount of young talent, including himself, the Tar Heels have on the defensive line?

“We don't look at it like that,” Murphy said. “We work together. I help out Keeshawn (Silver), Jahvaree (Ritzie) and all them. We all try to help them get the plays right... So, I really try to work with them instead of competing with them.”

*Overall, what were Murphy’s main takeaways from his freshman campaign in Chapel Hill?

“It really wasn't any different than high school, just the o-lineman were bigger,” he said. “That’s just for me, all of them were bigger and faster.”

And, from reviewing his film from last season, what does Murphy think he needs to improve on the most?

“I’d say just getting after the ball, chasing the ball down,” Murphy said. “That’s it, that’s all I really want to work on right now. Get way faster than I was last year and I got way fitter than I was last year.”

*Along with Murphy, Rucker was another player that saw some action for the Tar Heels during his true freshman campaign in 2020.

The Hartwell, GA, native appeared in 10 games, starting in one, and played a total of 193 snaps. He finished the season with 21 tackles, three tackles for loss and three hurries.

So, going into this season, what does Rucker think he’s improved the most in his game?

“I feel like one of my biggest strengths, and I'm gonna continue to work on, is just setting the edge as an outside linebacker and also being as versatile as I can,” Rucker said. “Lining up from a 4I all the way to a nine.

“And I feel like, as I continue to do that, I feel I'm gonna get better alongside some other things like pass rushing. And I'm developing my skills also inside with the guards and the inside shoulders of the tackles.”

*With Chazz Surratt gone to the NFL Draft, junior linebacker Eugene Asante, who started in the Orange Bowl due to Surratt opting out, is expected to start alongside veteran Jeremiah Gemmel this season.

So, what has Rucker seen from Asante this spring and are there any differences between him now and this time last season?

“Eugene, first of all, is a very great player, very great person, very explosive,” Rucker said. “He’s one of the leaders of our team and I feel like what he brings to our defense is just that speed, that grit, that get to the ball that we need on defense and I feel like he's really maturing as a linebacker.

“He’s getting a better understanding of the calls. He's getting to us quicker. He knows how to facilitate the defense. He's that field general that we need alongside Jeremiah Gemmel. I think he's doing a tremendous job.”