CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina held its eighth football practice of the spring Saturday, which took place inside Kenan Stadium, and it concluded with the Tar Heels scrimmaging for an hour.
THI was on hand for the entire practice, and below are some observations of what we saw. We will focus on the defense in this piece:
*Over the first half hour-plus, the team was broken up into position groups and did a variety of drills, though late in this period the offensive line and defensive line were together and had some intense competition.
*Defensive Line: The DL is loaded. It is deep and talented and looks the part. The group is bigger and quicker than before, and it appears Tim Cross will be able to play guys more situationally than before. That’s a good thing because while he has options now, though how good the unit will be at any one time remains a question. It is deep and talented, but also young, so there will be growing and developmental pains.
Having depth is fantastic, but the more talented kids are the younger ones, meaning they lack experience. Even the second-year players haven’t logged a ton of snaps, so it is hard to gauge just how good the line will be until we see them in action for a few games. They will be better, though, and perhaps much improved.
Jahvaree Ritzie stood out Saturday much more than two weeks ago. The last time we were at practice, Ritzie and Keeshawn Silver certainly looked the part physically, but watching them Saturday, they did so because of how they performed, Ritzie in particular. That doesn’t mean Silver didn’t, but one can only see so much and the focus here was more on Ritzie.
He came off the ball low, had good technique against the offensive tackle, and rubbed off quickly and well, a few times meeting the ball carrier at around the line of scrimmage.
Kevin Hester continues to impress, as do Kaimon Rucker, Myles Murphy, Clyde Pinder, etc. This group has a very high ceiling.
The rotations varied, as Krtisian Varner, Kevin Hester, Myles Murphy, Ray Vohasek, Jahlil Taylor, Ritzie, Clyde Pinder, Kedrick Bingley-Jones, and Silver got plenty of reps.
Linebackers: The most noticeable thing about the LB group is how much more comfortable Ra Ra Dillworth and Power Echols appeared Saturday as opposed to two weeks ago, especially Dillworth. He’s still small, so expect some big-time work from him in the eating and weight room departments this summer, but he just carried himself more like a college player.
He got popped on a block one time but quickly shook it off. Echols is also adjusting but has looked like he’s slightly ahead of Dillworth in our limited time viewing him.
Mack Brown has said the older guys won’t get many reps in scrimmages so the staff can look at the younger players and they can get needed reps, so Jeremiah Gemmel didn’t do much. He was with the ones along with Eugene Asante, so it’s safe to pencil them in as the starters. The group behind, however, fluctuated, though it appears Cedric Gray and Khadry Jackson are slotted there. Dillworth and Echols are behind them, though Echols got some work with the twos during the scrimmage.
The order in drills were broken into the MIKE and SAM spots: Gemmel, Jackson, and Echols were the order in one trio while Asante, Gray, and Dillworth were the other.
Some have expressed concern about this group, and it certainly needs game experience outside of Gemmel, but there is certainly talent there and absolutely speed. The LB group is much faster than it was a few years ago.
Hybrid DE/OLB: This group was more interesting Saturday than two weeks ago. We noted then that Desmond Evans was awfully impressive two weeks ago because he’s clearly bigger but looked more the part. He appeared to play with confidence and look more ready for extended game reps. Or at least he’s on his way. But, this second time at practice the group as a whole was more impressive.
They have five guys (maybe eventually six) that will probably be trusted when the Heels visit Blacksburg to open the season. Tomon Fox is obvious, though he got few, if any, reps in the scrimmage, and Tyrone Hopper is certainly trusted, though he did get some scrimmage snaps. But what stood out was how well Kaimon Rucker did but that he went first in the drills when I was watching the group. He’s really talented and is a smart player.
Chris Collins is athletic and long and must give the Heels something this coming season. Hopper will be a solid part of the mix, though it’s uncertain what his high-end is. Keep an eye on Ethan West. He’s huge and just looks like a player, but he’s learning the hybrid spot right now, so it may still take some time before he’s ready to get onto the field.
The rotation in the drills I took in: Rucker, Fox, Collins, Hopper, and Ethan West. Note: I did not see Desmond Evans.
Secondary: The Secondary is deep, which is no secret, and very talented, also not a secret. I didn’t watch them specifically that much Saturday because the practice part with drills, etc, was shortened and the scrimmage was an hour. The focus was more on other parts of the team. But some things clearly stood out:
Tony Grimes is really good and it would be a major surprise if he doesn’t develop into an All-ACC caliber player before long. Kyler McMichael was also outstanding at times Saturday. His speed, ability to close in on a guy, and read stuff is impressive. He was very highly touted, so UNC’s starting corners Saturday were both top 53 guys nationally in HS, and when was the last time Carolina football had players like that at the corners? No word on Storm Duck. He wasn’t a factor, but when fully ready to go, UNC will have three outstanding corners. We will try to get some more information on him this week.
Dae Dae Hollins looked good and had the best defensive play of the day. He picked off a Drake Maye pass near the end zone when he broke toward the ball with a cat-quick dart to the ball and then made an impressive interception diving toward the ground. The celebration afterward was rather impressive. The entire defense got into it.
Cameron Roseman-Sinclair got quite a few reps at safety in the scrimmage, though it’s still tough to gauge how he’s coming along.
The first unit in the scrimmage was Ja’Quarious Conley at nickel, McMichael and Grimes at corner, and Don Chapman and Trey Morrison at safety.
Second unit in the secondary Welton Spottsville at nickel, Hollins and Obi Egbuna at corner, and Cam Kelly and Giovanni Biggers at safety.
Note: DeAndre Boykins and Dontavius Nash got some reps, too.
