CHARLOTTE – Thursday at the ACC Kickoff was all about the Coastal Division, as all seven football teams on that side of the conference had formal and informal press conferences and interviews with the media.

North Carolina went second inside The Westin, which included a breakout interview with junior linebacker Cedric Gray.

THI was on hand for the day’s activities, so below is video of Gray’s Q&A session with the media as well as some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:

*Gray got a lot of questions about new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. One part of a response that stood out was this: “He’s the type of guy that would rather (you) be good at five things than be average at 15 things.”

*Brown was asked a question in the formal press conference in which the member of the media posing the question called his team “criminally underrated” going into this season. Brown quickly replied saying his team was “criminally overrated” last year, which generated some laughter. So, what does Gray think about that statement and where the team is now?

“I think I kind of agree with that a little bit”, he said. “We were ranked a top-10 team before the season last year if I’m not mistaken, which we obviously did not live up to. But I like where we’re at now. I think we have a lot of doubters, and I think we’re at a place when nobody’s really looking at us to make a splash. So, I think it will be a great story for us when we come out in the season and we have a good year.”

*Which player on Carolina’s defense who didn’t rack up a lot of stats last season does Gray see stepping out and playing an important role this fall?

“I’m going to go with Jahvaree Ritzie,” Gray replied, after giving it some thought. “I think Jahvaree Ritzie is a great athlete. He came in last year and got an opportunity to play a little bit as a freshman, and I think he’s a guy who kind of kept on building on his talent he already has. I think he’s gonna have an even better year than he had last year.”

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*When Chizik took over UNC’s defense following the 2014 season, he was tasked with pretty much the same thing he is right now.

In 2014, UNC was a disaster on defense, finishing No. 117 in total D, No. 117 in rushing D, No. 115 in passing D, No. 116 in scoring D, allowing 39 points per contest, No. 122 in third-down D, No. 109 in red zone D, and No. 116 in first downs allowed.

They improved by 60 yards a game allowed, moved up to No. 42 in scoring defense allowing 24.5 points per game, and the Tar Heels forced 26 turnovers. They also went 11-3 that season, winning 11 consecutive games after losing the opener, and playing top-ranked Clemson in the ACC championship game. A contest Carolina was an onside kick in the final minute away from possibly pulling off the upset and landing in the College Football Playoff.

The 2021 Tar Heels finished No. 94 in total defense allowing 418 yards per contest. They were No. 105 in scoring defense, allowing 32.1 points per game, No. 97 in stopping the run, No. 103 in pass efficiency defense, No. 99 defending third downs, and No. 118 in first downs allowed.

So, how much is Gray aware Chizik had such an immediate and dramatic effect on the Tar Heels defensively in his first season during his first stint?

“I’m familiar with what happened when he came to Carolina the first time,” Gray said. “But not only that, I have a huge respect for that man. That man’s won two national championships; one as a d-coordinator and one as a head coach. The man knows what he’s doing, and I think the defense trusts that he knows what he’s doing, and I think we’ll see a big difference this year.”

*The Carolina program has had a variety of people speak to the players about NIL opportunities and business in general. One particular guest stood out to Gray.

“We had a few people talk to us about group licensing and all the different ways we can make money through NIL and stuff like that,” Gray said. “Just recently, we talked to this guy who’s the CEO (Frank Mycroft) and started this new app called Booster.

“It’s basically a social media platform for athletes. You can post and upload videos and stuff, but fans can pay for a subscription to their favorite athletes. I think that’s probably going to be the next big app that takes off, because I think fans will be willing to pay for maybe that extra access they get, seeing the behind-the-scenes with their favorite college players.”