THI TV: Brian Anderson Summer Presser, Notes & Quotes
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina's football program held its summer press conference Wednesday at the Kenan Football Center, in which every assistant coach and 12 players were made available to the media.
Veteran center Brian Anderson was among the players who spent time fielding questions. During his stint at the podium, Anderson discussed his relationship with Miami transfer and fellow center Corey Gaynor, adjusting to new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell's coaching style, connecting with younger teammates, and more.
Above is video of Anderson’s Q&A session, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*With Anderson dealing with an ankle injury last season, UNC had uncertainty at the center, arguably the most critical position on the offensive line. To avoid the same scenario as last season, the UNC coaching staff attacked the transfer portal and came away with a commitment from sixth-year grad transfer Corey Gaynor. While Gaynor and Anderson are competitive on the field, they have been cordial off it, which Anderson believes is an excellent example for the younger players to witness.
"Corey is a great addition to the o-line," Anderson said. "We are both playing hard, and we are both coming for that spot. We have had to have some serious conversations. No matter what happens, we are still getting better... I think everyone sees us battling it out, see's us competing, and they look to that and think, ' oh, this is how this is supposed to look.'"
*Soon before North Carolina was scheduled to start practice then-offensive line coach Stacy Searels decided to leave UNC for the same position at Georgia. With more than 30 years of coaching experience, Carolina coach Mack Brown identified Bicknell and got him on board rather quickly and minimized the damage of missing a coach by getting Bicknell to Chapel Hill by the second spring practice. With the relationship between Bicknell and his players still being new, Anderson's experience has helped him adapt to such a unique situation.
"I am very comfortable with the way Bicknell runs the show," said Anderson. “We've made minor adjustments in terms of the way we do our pass protection and getting more vertical on the inside run...off the field too, he's the classic funny Boston guy. He's a little bit different, but I feel all o-line coaches are."
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*Many successful people believe a crucial component to success is their ability to envision themselves in a position of achievement. According to Anderson, Bicknell's coaching style isn't too different. When Bicknell took over the job, he quickly communicated to his unit what his vision was for the group, and as the offseason goes along, the vision is becoming more apparent for Anderson and company.
"He will say, ‘This is how I want the inside run, this is how I want the counter to look,’” Anderson said. “And we see that, and after practice, we take notes on it, and we see the improvements we made, and he will say, ' Alright, that's vision tape type stuff you did right there.'”
*Anderson was a member of the 2017 recruiting class. Of the 21 players that committed to play for UNC in that class, Anderson is the only player that remains with the Tar Heels. Experience is often looked at as a good thing to have from a leader, but Anderson was so experienced he hadn't spent much time with his younger teammates, many of them were still middle school students when Anderson enrolled at UNC. So, this season Anderson is making an extra effort to connect with his teammates
"I have to understand who the team is, and spend time with younger guys,” he said. “As an older guy who has lost a lot of teammates. It’s important for me to ingratiate myself with the younger guys.”