CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina's football program held its summer press conference last Wednesday at the Kenan Football Center, in which every assistant coach and 12 players were made available to the media.

Junior linebacker Cedric Gray was one of the Tar Heels that took part. One of the voices of Carolina’s defense, he assumes the role of former ILB Jeremiah Gemmel, not just as perhaps the unit’s most cerebral player, but also its primary communicator on the field.

As we roll through each interview, here above is the full video of Gray’s presser and below are some tidbits from his interview:

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*Gray spoke on how he feels his role has changed and stayed the same under new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. He noted that he is an undisputed leader this season and no longer has Jerimiah Gemmel to look up to.

*Gray discussed the development of the younger linebackers calling sophomore Power Echols’ development 'tremendous.' He has also been impressed with second-year backer Rara Dilworth's mental development this offseason.

*The veteran linebacker touched on the nuances of being a cerebral player. He says he has a lot of conversations with linebacker's coach Tommy Thigpen to continue to learn more small things through film

*With the addition of Chizik, the new defensive leader has let Gray know that he wants to develop a new defensive culture for the Tar Heels. Simplification is the term being tossed around regarding Carolina’s new approach, and Gray is thrilled the Heels have made this change.