CHAPEL HILL – If you listen to North Carolina’s players, a different, more energetic vibe and tone were needed on the defensive side of the football after last season. And that’s exactly what they got with Geoff Collins replacing Gene Chizik as defensive coordinator.
Chizik’s low-key approach, studious demeanor, and bend-but-don't-break approach only got UNC so far. Collins is the polar opposite.
So much that he actually apologized to the guys on that side of the ball in his first meeting with them last January. He wanted to get in front of how he communicates, which can be sharp at times, but always with a purpose.
“It was just the positive enthusiastic language sometimes that I use,” Collins replied, when asked why he needed to apologize in advance. “It’s always to build them up and (is) exciting. We have a really good time in our unit meetings.”
Collins is a yeller. You can hear him from anywhere at UNC’s practices. He’s an iron-pumping guy, wears thin hooded vests with long sleeves underneath. He loves calling third down the “Money Down,” to which Carolina fans will see referenced soon enough.
Collins is also proven. Not as a head coach, as he had a rough time at Georgia Tech, but as a coordinator. That is why Mack Brown brought him to Chapel Hill, with the basic mandate: Do for us what you did in Gainesville and Starkville.
Florida ranked in the top 10 defensively in both seasons Collins ran the unit, and had Mississippi State at No 18 in 2013, though it suffered a drop off when a bacth of talent moved on in addition to a rash of injuries.
In 2016, Florida led the nation in pass defense efficiency, fourth in red zone defense, No. 5 in total defense, No. 6 in scoring defense, and No. 7 in first downs allowed. In 2014 at Mississippi State, the Bulldogs won 10 games and were ranked No. 1 in both major polls for part of the season.
That year, MSU was second the SEC with 37 sacks, were No. 1 in the nation in red zone defense, and No. 16 in scoring defense,
At that time, Collins was the only coach ever be nominated for the Broyles Award, given to college football’s top assistant coach, at three different schools (Florida International – 2010, Mississippi State – 2014 and Florida – 2015).
Aggressive attitude and aggressive play rendering aggressive results.
“Geoff is going to come after everybody,” Brown said. “He has told the kids, ‘you just grab them (and) hold on, man. We’re not sitting and waiting on anybody.’ And I like his personality.”
The players like it, too.
“I love the energy he’s brought to the team. We needed that energy,” senior cornerback Alijah Huzzie said. “And just his aggressive mindset and the way he approaches everything. The urgency, he’s pushing it for us to be the best defense in college football.”
Des Evans: “His energy, his personality stood out to me. Even somebody that we can relate to in a way. Somebody that’s more modern, more used to the game of football right now.”
Power Echols: “He’s brought a lot of fire and energy to our defense. And I feel like he also lets the guys be themselves and make plays and embrace the chaos, embrace the chaos of the defense and embrace the chaos that he brings.”
Kaimon Rucker: “The energy is different, and it starts from the top down. Coach Collins is definitely, even on day one when he stepped into our team meeting room, he brought the energy off the rip. And I feel like that’s some energy that our defense needed.”
More from Brown: “He is high energy. He comes in like he’s on pills in the morning at 6 and he leaves at night; and he’s hyped. And he has fun. And I think he’s helped our building by bringing in that fun to the building.”
The whole idea defensively is to create chaos. And that comes with some frenetic trimmings.
Collins drips with intensity. It’s not hard to see or hear when he speaks, like when he describes his defensive approach.
“So, it's an aggressive nature,” he said. “It's an aggressive mindset that we have in the building and I think the guys got to experience that in the first defensive unit meeting the other night… You guys will get to see me on the grass and with the fellas. We're gonna create chaos without being chaotic.”
Carolina doesn’t play its first game until August 28 at Minnesota, so fans have plenty of time to get lathered up about Collins’ defense. The players, in the meantime, will continue grinding through, embracing hard criticism and strong encouragements because he’s already apologized in advance.
