CHAPEL HILL – UNC football coach Larry Fedora met with the media following Thursday morning’s practice, the team’s fourth of fall camp. Here is what the coach had to say:
Q: Four days in, how are you guys doing?
Fedora: We’re doing great, really. You’re four days of installation right now, especially for those young guys, it’s so much for them mentally, their heads are smoking … So we put it all in and come back and really get down to the nitty gritty on it. But those guys have been good, I’m proud of the way they’ve performed at this point.
Q: Are any of the young ones starting to catch up a bit?
Fedora: Your guys that were here in January, those young guys are doing some really nice things, they’re pretty comfortable. It’s the newest ones, the fourth day, it’s a shock to their systems.
Q: Has the slow pace of teaching the new defense sped up this week?
Fedora: Oh yeah, definitely. It’s sped up because you only have so many days to get it in. The defensive guys have been super, from the 15 days in the spring to this summer, they did a great job this summer, they did a great job with it.
Q: What’s the plan with installing the defense?
Fedora: It doesn’t change whether it’s defense, offense or special teams, really, for all of them because we re-install every single year. We have about a 5-day plan of instalment, and you’re going to have about 95 percent of that phase in in those five days. Then you start doing it over and over and over so we know it by the time we get to that first game. But again, you’re putting in your whole offense, your whole defense, all of your special teams philosophies. You won’t ever take all of that into a game plan, so it will be very simplified when you get to a game plan.
Q: What makes Coach Chizik unique as a teacher?
Fedora: I think he’s got a very detailed way of implementation, the way he wants it done. It’s very organized, it’s very detailed, he doesn’t want to speed it up, he doesn’t want to slow it down. This is what we do this day, this I what we get done. Whether we’re ahead or not, this is what we’re focusing on.
Q: We talked in Pinehurst about Sam Smiley and the spring he had, has he carried that into this week?
Fedora: Sam’s the guy that everybody looks up to there in the back end. He’s got the most reps even though he’s been a guy that’s had a lot of adversity in his career. He’s the old an back there.
Q: What are you liking out of that secondary?
Fedora: They all can run, they’re in great shape and they’re very athletic. They’ve made some really nice plays this fall just with picks. We had two pick pays just yesterday 37 (T.J. Jiles) and 2 (Des Lawrence); both of them made two big picks in the game. So, it was really good.
Q: What has J.K. Britt done to earn that spot, and what does that say about a freshman to come in and do that?
Fedora: Usually that’s hard to do. But, I’ll tell you what he’s done, he’s very mature beyond his years, he doesn’t get flustered, he‘s very intelligent, so he learns in the classroom and then he’s able to take it to the field and transition that way. That’s what I’m most impressed with him about.
Q: Do you know anything more about the kicking situation now than you did before camp started?
Fedora: I know that we have fewer days left to make a decision.
Q: What has Coach Chizik’s impact in the locker room been like?
Fedora: I’d say it’s been the same as it was the first day. Guys were excited. His reputation precedes him, so everybody, whether they had met him or not, they knew what he had accomplished and that gave them a sense of confidence and a swagger about them from the very get go. And I think that’s continue through to this point.
Q: What do you like about Joe Jackson ad Cayson Collins at weak side linebacker/
Fedora: You’ve got some great competition right there right now. Both of those guys are battling it out and we haven’t made a decision on who that guy’s going to be. They’re really doing a great job of getting after it on a daily basis. And that’s not just out here, that’s talking about in the classroom also.
Q: On the defensive line, what are some of the names standing out there?
Fedora: I’m going to pint out the true freshman Aaron Crawford. He’s really shown some really nice things early in camp, and if he can continue to do that throughout camp that’s going to be pretty special. Naz Jones has done some really nice things, I called out Jeremiah Clarke about 3 or 4 times yesterday of some really nice plays. So, I think they’re all starting to get a little more comfortable with the scheme and what we’re asking them to do.
Q: What signs do you look for that guys on the team are getting it?
Fedora: First of all, assignment-wise, how many missed assignments are we having in the practice and how much of it is with new guys, young guys? So you break it down and see if guys know what they are doing and are they playing hard. If they’re doing those two things well be okay.
Q: Four days in, how are you guys doing?
Fedora: We’re doing great, really. You’re four days of installation right now, especially for those young guys, it’s so much for them mentally, their heads are smoking … So we put it all in and come back and really get down to the nitty gritty on it. But those guys have been good, I’m proud of the way they’ve performed at this point.
Q: Are any of the young ones starting to catch up a bit?
Fedora: Your guys that were here in January, those young guys are doing some really nice things, they’re pretty comfortable. It’s the newest ones, the fourth day, it’s a shock to their systems.
Q: Has the slow pace of teaching the new defense sped up this week?
Fedora: Oh yeah, definitely. It’s sped up because you only have so many days to get it in. The defensive guys have been super, from the 15 days in the spring to this summer, they did a great job this summer, they did a great job with it.
Q: What’s the plan with installing the defense?
Fedora: It doesn’t change whether it’s defense, offense or special teams, really, for all of them because we re-install every single year. We have about a 5-day plan of instalment, and you’re going to have about 95 percent of that phase in in those five days. Then you start doing it over and over and over so we know it by the time we get to that first game. But again, you’re putting in your whole offense, your whole defense, all of your special teams philosophies. You won’t ever take all of that into a game plan, so it will be very simplified when you get to a game plan.
Q: What makes Coach Chizik unique as a teacher?
Fedora: I think he’s got a very detailed way of implementation, the way he wants it done. It’s very organized, it’s very detailed, he doesn’t want to speed it up, he doesn’t want to slow it down. This is what we do this day, this I what we get done. Whether we’re ahead or not, this is what we’re focusing on.
Q: We talked in Pinehurst about Sam Smiley and the spring he had, has he carried that into this week?
Fedora: Sam’s the guy that everybody looks up to there in the back end. He’s got the most reps even though he’s been a guy that’s had a lot of adversity in his career. He’s the old an back there.
Q: What are you liking out of that secondary?
Fedora: They all can run, they’re in great shape and they’re very athletic. They’ve made some really nice plays this fall just with picks. We had two pick pays just yesterday 37 (T.J. Jiles) and 2 (Des Lawrence); both of them made two big picks in the game. So, it was really good.
Q: What has J.K. Britt done to earn that spot, and what does that say about a freshman to come in and do that?
Fedora: Usually that’s hard to do. But, I’ll tell you what he’s done, he’s very mature beyond his years, he doesn’t get flustered, he‘s very intelligent, so he learns in the classroom and then he’s able to take it to the field and transition that way. That’s what I’m most impressed with him about.
Q: Do you know anything more about the kicking situation now than you did before camp started?
Fedora: I know that we have fewer days left to make a decision.
Q: What has Coach Chizik’s impact in the locker room been like?
Fedora: I’d say it’s been the same as it was the first day. Guys were excited. His reputation precedes him, so everybody, whether they had met him or not, they knew what he had accomplished and that gave them a sense of confidence and a swagger about them from the very get go. And I think that’s continue through to this point.
Q: What do you like about Joe Jackson ad Cayson Collins at weak side linebacker/
Fedora: You’ve got some great competition right there right now. Both of those guys are battling it out and we haven’t made a decision on who that guy’s going to be. They’re really doing a great job of getting after it on a daily basis. And that’s not just out here, that’s talking about in the classroom also.
Q: On the defensive line, what are some of the names standing out there?
Fedora: I’m going to pint out the true freshman Aaron Crawford. He’s really shown some really nice things early in camp, and if he can continue to do that throughout camp that’s going to be pretty special. Naz Jones has done some really nice things, I called out Jeremiah Clarke about 3 or 4 times yesterday of some really nice plays. So, I think they’re all starting to get a little more comfortable with the scheme and what we’re asking them to do.
Q: What signs do you look for that guys on the team are getting it?
Fedora: First of all, assignment-wise, how many missed assignments are we having in the practice and how much of it is with new guys, young guys? So you break it down and see if guys know what they are doing and are they playing hard. If they’re doing those two things well be okay.
