CHAPEL HILL – Practice number seven of fall camp for North Carolina is in the books, and afterward, defensive coordinator Gene Chizik met with the media to field questions about his side of the ball, what he learned last season after spending five years in TV, certain players, his relationship with Mack Brown, and more.

Above is the full video of Chizik’s 23-minute Q&A, and below are some notes and tidbits from what he had to say:

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*The defensive players we’ve spoken with over the week-plus have each said the unit is faster off the snap and to the ball than this time a year ago. Some of the offensive players have backed that up. Chizik is pleased that the natural progression in the second year of a system is in swing.

“I see a comfort level. When you’re not in year two, obviously everybody would expect everything to be better, right. Everything should be more comfortable for the players. It’s like anything; the more you get accustomed to the calls and the adjustments and some things of that nature, the expectation is to play faster. And I feel like, so far in camp, when you stack the reps of the spring and camp together, I feel like we are playing faster.”

*In responding to the first question about the team playing faster on defense, he used the word “violence” again, which is something he said a lot in the spring. UNC Coach Mack Brown used the word some, too.

What is so important about the defense being smarter in pre-snap is that it’s quicker off the snap, and that combination allows it to play faster. So, naturally, contact is made more head on than from the side or even behind. Natural laws of physics strong support head-on collisions are simply more impactful. Hence, increased violence.

“Yes, because there’s not as much thinking, right? So anytime there’s the old saying, ‘analysis is paralysis’ – you’re trying to figure everything out – you kind of get paralyzed, particularly before the ball is snapped. So, we’re trying to eliminate that type of thinking.”

*To make further clarification about what all of this actually means, Chizik said, “If there was any gray; if there was anything that they didn’t necessarily understand, it’s our job as coaches to make them understand.”

*Chizik spoke in the spring about two important areas that needed significant improvement up front on the defensive line: Short-area quickness, and gap discipline. He says he’s seen the kind of progress in those areas he wanted more than a week into fall camp.

“I have, I have. This game is about short-area quickness, so obviously from tackle box to tackle box, from one end to the other, you better have that short-area quickness up front, and physicality and strike-ability from those guys. We’re starting to see that better.

“That helps with the linebacker run fits, obviously the being held, so the backers and the safeties and everybody knows where to fit. So, all of that’s happening at a better clip than it was last year. Not perfect, but I expect it to be much better than it was last year.”

*Alijah Huzzie continues to impress, so much that he has worked at both cornerback spots and even at star. Huzzie was an FCS All-American at East Tennessee State, having intercepted six passes in each of the last two seasons.

“Alijah Huzzie’s been really exciting to watch. He’s still learning, he’s still growing, but he’s got really good football instincts, (and) we’ve seen that since he got here. We’re able to move him around to different positions now. When he came here, he was just a corner, now can be a field corner, he can be a boundary corner, he can be a star… He’s learning the game more, (and) he’s a very talented kid.”

*In addition: Chizik spoke about having an old secondary but that three young players will be asked to do a lot (Will Hardy, Marcus Allen, Tayon Hollaway), and he backed up everything we’ve heard on and off the record about Holloway. Chizik said, “Tayon’s just a talented young guy. He makes plays out here a lot.”

A few players Chizik expects to see be much better this season are names everyone already knows, so that he mentioned Kaimon Rucker, Des Evans, and Myles Murphy bodes well given they were all solid-to-good already.

Regarding Evans, who was lost for last season in the ninth game and not cleared until this past May, Chizik said he is “proud” of where Evans is right now. And, “He’s really, really paid attention to his craft in the offseason and getting better at all of the little things. It’s showing up on the field right now.”