PINEHURST, NC - UNC seniors Marquise Williams and Jeff Schoettmer and head coach Larry Fedora represented the program at the ACC Kickoff earlier this week at Pinehurst Country Club. Here are some nuggets from what they had to say:
*The addition if Gene Chizik and a new scheme defensively are certain to have a positive impact on UNC's defense with respect to how it performed a year ago. But there are other reasons the Tar Heels expect to be better on that side of the ball, and it begins with individual improvement. Leader and linebacker Jeff Schoettmer says he's a much improved player from a year ago.
"First and foremost, I'm smarter, I'm stronger, I'm more experienced, I just know I have to have a big year, and break out. So, it's time."
The 4-2-5 required a great deal of thinking and sometimes guessing, something the players admitted they did wrong more times than they wanted to a year ago. So, in a much more simplified scheme, how is Schoettmer smarter?
"I'm smarter because of how I understand the offenses now. Coach J.P. (new LB coach John Papuchis) taught me a lot. First down, diagnose the situation, what plays they can run from that formation. Look at the tailback, the depth of the tailback, whether it's going to be a stretch or a read-zone, things like that. So, just basically looking at the offense and processing in my head what's going to happen."
Schoettmer also believes he's personally more built to play in a 4-3 than the 4-2-5 that UNC previously employed.
"I think so, yeah. I'm surrounded - I've got four guys in front of me, one to the left and one to the right - so I personally like it better. My spring this year, I feel like I was a way better player than I was before."
*UNC was tabbed by the media this week to finish 5th in the Coastal Division, which really doesn't bother quarterback Marquise Williams. When asked about the snub, he fired right back at the naysayers.
"You never hear about Carolina, (but) that's alright, it's what we like. There hasn't been too much talk about us, about this football team, and that's also how I like it. I like to be the guy that's going to sneak up on people and shock the world.
"Anybody in the Coastal can win... "It's all about V. Tech, Miami and Georgia Tech and nobody is worried about that blue. But just wait, it's coming."
*The Tar Heels open with South Carolina on Sept. 3 in Charlotte on national TV in a game that essentially kicks off the college football season nationally. This is an enormous opportunity for UNC, and there are pros and cons to this kind of opener, on this stage versus an SEC team carrying the banner for the ACC. Larry Fedora appears to it more than he doesn't.
"I think everybody wants to start off with a win, so that's number one," Fedora said. "Honestly the pros are it can be a great thing for this conference, everybody's talking about it; I imagine if you're opening up with the little sisters of the poor probably nobody's talking about it.
"Everybody's talking about college football. It's going to be the first game, it's a big game, it's on a neutral site, it's South Carolina-Carolina - all of those things. So, that's going to be really good. It's good got recruits, it's good for our team as they've prepared through the summer, which is a grind for them, to know that they've got that big game coming up. That part of it is exciting.
"The negatives are that if you're not successful how you manage your team not starting out with a win. That's part of coaching."
*The addition if Gene Chizik and a new scheme defensively are certain to have a positive impact on UNC's defense with respect to how it performed a year ago. But there are other reasons the Tar Heels expect to be better on that side of the ball, and it begins with individual improvement. Leader and linebacker Jeff Schoettmer says he's a much improved player from a year ago.
"First and foremost, I'm smarter, I'm stronger, I'm more experienced, I just know I have to have a big year, and break out. So, it's time."
The 4-2-5 required a great deal of thinking and sometimes guessing, something the players admitted they did wrong more times than they wanted to a year ago. So, in a much more simplified scheme, how is Schoettmer smarter?
"I'm smarter because of how I understand the offenses now. Coach J.P. (new LB coach John Papuchis) taught me a lot. First down, diagnose the situation, what plays they can run from that formation. Look at the tailback, the depth of the tailback, whether it's going to be a stretch or a read-zone, things like that. So, just basically looking at the offense and processing in my head what's going to happen."
Schoettmer also believes he's personally more built to play in a 4-3 than the 4-2-5 that UNC previously employed.
"I think so, yeah. I'm surrounded - I've got four guys in front of me, one to the left and one to the right - so I personally like it better. My spring this year, I feel like I was a way better player than I was before."
*UNC was tabbed by the media this week to finish 5th in the Coastal Division, which really doesn't bother quarterback Marquise Williams. When asked about the snub, he fired right back at the naysayers.
"You never hear about Carolina, (but) that's alright, it's what we like. There hasn't been too much talk about us, about this football team, and that's also how I like it. I like to be the guy that's going to sneak up on people and shock the world.
"Anybody in the Coastal can win... "It's all about V. Tech, Miami and Georgia Tech and nobody is worried about that blue. But just wait, it's coming."
*The Tar Heels open with South Carolina on Sept. 3 in Charlotte on national TV in a game that essentially kicks off the college football season nationally. This is an enormous opportunity for UNC, and there are pros and cons to this kind of opener, on this stage versus an SEC team carrying the banner for the ACC. Larry Fedora appears to it more than he doesn't.
"I think everybody wants to start off with a win, so that's number one," Fedora said. "Honestly the pros are it can be a great thing for this conference, everybody's talking about it; I imagine if you're opening up with the little sisters of the poor probably nobody's talking about it.
"Everybody's talking about college football. It's going to be the first game, it's a big game, it's on a neutral site, it's South Carolina-Carolina - all of those things. So, that's going to be really good. It's good got recruits, it's good for our team as they've prepared through the summer, which is a grind for them, to know that they've got that big game coming up. That part of it is exciting.
"The negatives are that if you're not successful how you manage your team not starting out with a win. That's part of coaching."
