THI TV: Echols on Moving to Will, Campbell, Motivation, WVU & More
CHAPEL HILL – Power Echols has a new position for North Carolina’s bowl game versus West Virginia.
It isn’t a big change, however, but it is a slight move.
“I will slide over to the Will, and bring young Amare (Campbell) up to the Mike and go from there,” Echols said last week after practice, as the Tar Heelsprepare for their bowl game.
Echols was third on UNC’s defense playing 841 snaps in the regular season, with all of them coming at the Mike linebacker spot. But with Cedric Gray off to the NFL and not playing in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on December 27, Echols has moved into Gray’s spot, opening the Mike slot to true freshman Amare Campbell.
There are some differences Echols must adhere to.
“I’m moving more outstand than I was more inside when playing Mike,” he explained. “So, I’m outside guarding the receivers a little bit more. But in terms of assignments, it’s really the same position. It won’t be (a) change that much.”
Echols met with the media Wednesday following the Tar Heels’ first practice in preparation for the Mountaineers. Here are a few other notes from what he had to say:
*Amare Campbell has played 70 snaps this season grading out well at 75.4. The bulk of his action came against Campbell (28 snaps), Syracuse (14), and NC State (11). Echols said Campbell is moving into the spot he occupied all season, and that he’s ready to get on the field and go at it right now.
“From all the way when he first got here, when he came here around this time last year when (we went) to San Diego, you could already tell he just knew football. When he came in the spring and then camp, he just blossomed into the player he is now.”
With Sebastian Cheeks in the transfer portal, Echols said the third LB is now true freshman Michael Short followed by true freshman Caleb LaVallee.
*Echols has seen Conner Harrell a lot in practice and gone up against him. So, he was asked about Harrell’s strengths.
“He has a great arm, a great feel, can mobile move, escape the pocket when he needs to and make the throws,” Echols replied.
*When Cedric Gray told Echols he was headed to the NFL, Echols he told him, “‘Go get paid,’ go get that money he’s supposed to make.”
*Echols said it was weird not having Gray at practice, saying, “He was my dog.” But, Gray was also notorious for gathering the defense before going on the field and barking encouragement, orders, and more. Is that now something Echols will do?
“That’s where I step up and will take a more vocal role that he had on the team,” he said.
Echols also said that and the other responsibilities of being the veteran in the LB room as well as on defense is understood, and conversations with Gray have been “him passing the torch.”
*Among some of the other things Echols discussed were more about Gray and what he learned from him, the team’s excitement to play in the bowl game, getting over the feeling they had after losing at NC State and if there’s any fuel from that game driving them, and about the challenges of taking on West Virginia and its highly rated rushing attack.