CHAPEL HILL – Many North Carolina football fans are probably wondering why the Tar Heels are practicing at night this week, as they opened fall camp Monday and have evening workouts through Wednesday.
Typically, UNC and other programs hold practice in the morning with a couple of evening sessions sprinkled in in preparation for night games. UNC does open at night at Minnesota on August 29 for an 8 pm kick, which is 7 pm CST in Minneapolis. And the N.C. Central game September 14 is a 6 pm kick.
Carolina played seven night games last season, and seven in 2022. So, the Heels likely will have a few more in ACC play, at least.
However, the reasoning for the evening practices this week has little to do with playing under the lights.
“It’s the end of summer school, and because we’re playing early, we would have had half our team miss practice if we had practiced (in the) morning,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said Minday following the first practice.
The last two days of final exams for the second summer school session were Monday and Tuesday. And since the staff didn’t want the players to turnaround and have a morning workout after alate practice Tuesday that concluded at around 9:40, with players’ post-practice interviews ending after 10:30, they are back at night for the third practice.
Brown says it’s made the combination of stressed finals and excitement over the season starting an easier transition for the players.
“To their credit, these kids are out here all day at a very, very tough academic school studying, and then coming out here and have to do this and they’ve got finals again in the morning,” he said.
An added plus is the staff is using the opportunity to simulate some things that will pay off once the actual games commence.
“We felt like it worked perfectly for us because we could take them into an environment where we have like a pre-game meal for Minnesota, practice around 7 (pm), which the game’s going to be at 7 their time, three nights in a row here,” Carolina’s coach said.
The Tar Heels have a recovery day Thursday before resuming practice at a normal time Friday morning. They have two other night practices scheduled before getting into game-week mode in three weeks.
