THI TV: Longo On QBs Battle, WR Depth, RB Room, & Much More
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CHAPEL HILL- North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo met with the media Tuesday afternoon for about 30 minutes in the Kenan Football Center to reflect on the spring ball and look ahead to summer and fall camp.
More specifically, some topics discussed included the quarterback battle, the emergence of sophomore tight end Bryson Nesbit, wide receiver depth, and much more.
Above is a video of Longo's presser, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*The most discussed storyline heading into summer and fall camp is the position battle at quarterback between Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye. UNC Coach Mack Brown has emphasized competing every rep this offseason and has developed a scoring system to identify the most productive players in practice. The elevated competition has put the young quarterbacks in game-like situations. Longo believes the more snaps the inexperienced signal-callers take in practice, the easier the first-string quarterback will be to identify.
"I think most of the time, the guys competing for the job wind up deciding the starter on their own. The cream raises...," said Longo. "We are pretty much going to let that thing play out and make a decision in August."
*Former UNC quarterback Sam Howell earned the starting quarterback spot as a true freshman. It allowed Longo to have “graduate-level” lessons with the future NFL draft pick. Now that Howell has moved on, Longo recognizes he no longer has the benefit of having arguably the best quarterback in school history on the roster.
“There are some Luxuries," Longo said of coaching Howell. "The Luxury was when you told Sam something once, he knew it for the three years that he started. If you teach it on film and it typically translates on the field, and he did so much to prepare himself in addition to what we did that we were able to progress and grow the offense."
*In Howell's first two seasons with the Tar Heels, he combined for 186 rushing attempts. In the 2021 campaign, the Monroe, NC, native ran the ball 183 times, almost matching the total attempts in his first couple of years. However, in Longo's first couple of years at the helm of UNC's offense, he had to be strategic about when he decided to use Howell's legs. In his first year, Cade Fortin chose to transfer, and Jace Rudder spent most of the season injured and transferred the following offseason.
As a result, in 2020, Howell's backup was a true freshman in Jacolby Criswell. As UNC continues its hot streak on the recruiting trail, the talent in the quarterback room continues to develop mentally and improve physically, which allows Longo to be more creative in the types of running plays he calls.
"We would have loved to run Sam over the course of three years,” Longo said. "I couldn't do that because of depth issues the first two years, but last year we were able to do that because Jacolby and Drake provided us with depth. This year we have three guys that are really mobile. They are really good laterally... So, we will do some things to move them around a little bit and take advantage of their athleticism."
*Brown expressed concern about his team's lack of depth at wide receiver. Over the last year, UNC has lost four wide receivers to the transfer portal, and junior Tylee Craft is currently not with the team because he is dealing with a rare form of cancer. However, the coaching staff thinks it could be a blessing in disguise to have fewer pass-catchers because they can get more reps and develop chemistry with both potential starters.
"We have fewer, and we want to keep them healthy," Longo said. "So, we are going to be smart about what we do. There is the advantage with regards to developing continuity and timing and a relationship between two quarterbacks and eight receivers. It's easier to do compared to when you have 12 or 15."
*To help combat the lack of bodies in the wide receiver room, sophomore tight end Bryson Nesbit has split reps between his natural position at tight end and receiver. With starting tight end Kamari Morales returning and John Copenhaver starting to realize his potential, the coaching staff has the luxury of moving the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder around and using his natural gifts.
"He is just a mismatch guy," he said. Another thing we talk about is creating mismatches. Bryson Nesbit poses different challenges than Josh Downs... He is a completely different talent than we haven't had in the past, and we are going to try and use him and focus the football on the things Bryson brings to the table."
*The goal of Carolina's coaching staff is to develop three running backs that can contribute to the team in the fall. With the emergence of fifth-year British Brooks last season, the coaching staff knows what Brooks can accomplish, allowing the younger guys to compete for the two spots in UNC's running back rotation.
"It's hard to get all of those running backs who have shown signs of being able to execute and being productive. It's hard to get then all reps,” Longo explained.
"British was British. Coach Brown wanted to get British the work he needed. Then we pulled it back. We know what he can do. So, we probably stole a few reps from British and spread the wealth to the other guys."