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Monday Camp Report
Jonas Pope IV
TarHeelIllustrated.com Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL -- The number of campers were down and temperatures were up, but the show went on at the University of North Carolina football camp.
Monday's numbers were just a shade below the 58 campers in attendance on Saturday, but there was some good in that. With less kids at the camp, the UNC coaches could give more of their attention to the few campers who are on their radar.
With 200 campers it's easy for a talented athlete to get overlooked, no matter how many coaches or graduate assistants are on the field. Monday, the talent level wasn't what it was one week ago, but those who stood out easily caught the attention of Larry Fedora and his staff.
THI - Tyrone Hopper.
*The prize pupil of the day was Roswell, Ga. outside linebacker Tyrone Hopper (6'4, 210, 2016). The three-star recruit came into camp with 15 solid Division I offers on the table, and probably will leave Chapel Hill with another in his pocket.
It was easy to see why Hopper got so much attention from defensive coordinator Gene Chizik and linebackers coach John Papuchis. Typically, Chizik bounces around from drill to drill, observing all of the defensive units. On Monday it was obvious the linebackers got most of his attention - mainly because of Hopper.
Hopper has the frame that could stand to add 15-20 more pounds, with a strong lower body, particularly calf muscles that poked out like a that of a man who knows his way around the weight room. He moved well in the cone drills, looked fluid running the 40 and had good leveraged on the bag drills.
During a read and react drill, Hopper (who showed he can change direction with ease) performed well under the close watch of Chizik, who stood right at the front of the line, even pulling Hopper aside and coaching him up a few times. In 1-on-1 coverage drills with the running backs, Hopper covered well, sticking to the backs with ease in man-to-man coverage.
Every class needs its start pupil and Hopper was that kid. While explaining why they do a certain drill, Papuchis asked a question to all the linebackers. Not waiting for anyone to answer, Papuchis looked to the back of the pack, right at Hopper, calling out "Tyrone" who answered the question correctly, not only passing the physical drills, but displaying a high football IQ as well.
Right now, Hopper is built more like a safety, and just to prove his coverage skills weren't a fluke, Papuchis and Chizik personally escorted Hopper to the second practice field where the wide receivers and tight ends were doing 1-on-1's with the defensive backs. Think about that for a second. Chizik, the defensive coordinator, and Papuchis, the linebackers coach, LEFT the linebackers group and walked with Hopper to the other field, immediately throwing him into the fire against the smaller, more athletic wide receivers. Hopper didn't disappoint. He got reps right away and held his own against the wide receivers. The coaches made sure Hopper got at least three reps, and he kept his man in front of him, not allowing a WR to catch a pass against him. Chizik likes big, physical safeties in his scheme, and perhaps he can envision Hopper playing that role in a few years in a Carolina uniform.
THI - Noah Ellison.
*Hopper wasn't the only player in attendance who got a little extra attention from the coaches. Wide receiver Noah Ellison (6'2, 195, 2016) a three-star recruit from Timber Creek High School in Sickerville, N.J. was the standout pass catcher of the day.
With four Division I offers, Ellison was asked to stay with wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer after the other campers broke for lunch for extra drills. Brewer ran Ellison through a series of pass catching drills as Fedora watched from a distance.
Ellison has nice size and got in and out of his breaks well. His hands didn't die (remaining active) as he broke down, and he plucked the football out of the air when it came his way.
During 1-on-1 drills with the defensive backs, he showed off his leaping ability, catching a couple of passes that appeared over his head, at their highest point, which drew praise from Brewer.
It was one of the highlights of the day.
THI - Sterling Palmer.
Another wideout, Sterling Palmer (6'5, 200, 2017) out of Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, Va. was a physical specimen. His route running wasn't overly impressive, but he had excellent hands, not battling the ball at all.
Either way, 6'5, 200 pound rising juniors don't grow on trees. Palmer got a lot of coaching from Brewer and tight ends coach Seth Littrell between drills. Each time up, his route running looked better, but one thing was for certain - he caught everything that was close. Even some that weren't close, he was able to use his long arms and huge hands to snag in passes. With his size, Palmer is already comparable to current UNC WRs Quinshad Davis and Bug Howard.
Brewer was probably thinking the same thing watching Palmer run routes Monday.
Monday Camp Report
Jonas Pope IV
TarHeelIllustrated.com Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL -- The number of campers were down and temperatures were up, but the show went on at the University of North Carolina football camp.
Monday's numbers were just a shade below the 58 campers in attendance on Saturday, but there was some good in that. With less kids at the camp, the UNC coaches could give more of their attention to the few campers who are on their radar.
With 200 campers it's easy for a talented athlete to get overlooked, no matter how many coaches or graduate assistants are on the field. Monday, the talent level wasn't what it was one week ago, but those who stood out easily caught the attention of Larry Fedora and his staff.
THI - Tyrone Hopper.
*The prize pupil of the day was Roswell, Ga. outside linebacker Tyrone Hopper (6'4, 210, 2016). The three-star recruit came into camp with 15 solid Division I offers on the table, and probably will leave Chapel Hill with another in his pocket.
It was easy to see why Hopper got so much attention from defensive coordinator Gene Chizik and linebackers coach John Papuchis. Typically, Chizik bounces around from drill to drill, observing all of the defensive units. On Monday it was obvious the linebackers got most of his attention - mainly because of Hopper.
Hopper has the frame that could stand to add 15-20 more pounds, with a strong lower body, particularly calf muscles that poked out like a that of a man who knows his way around the weight room. He moved well in the cone drills, looked fluid running the 40 and had good leveraged on the bag drills.
During a read and react drill, Hopper (who showed he can change direction with ease) performed well under the close watch of Chizik, who stood right at the front of the line, even pulling Hopper aside and coaching him up a few times. In 1-on-1 coverage drills with the running backs, Hopper covered well, sticking to the backs with ease in man-to-man coverage.
Every class needs its start pupil and Hopper was that kid. While explaining why they do a certain drill, Papuchis asked a question to all the linebackers. Not waiting for anyone to answer, Papuchis looked to the back of the pack, right at Hopper, calling out "Tyrone" who answered the question correctly, not only passing the physical drills, but displaying a high football IQ as well.
Right now, Hopper is built more like a safety, and just to prove his coverage skills weren't a fluke, Papuchis and Chizik personally escorted Hopper to the second practice field where the wide receivers and tight ends were doing 1-on-1's with the defensive backs. Think about that for a second. Chizik, the defensive coordinator, and Papuchis, the linebackers coach, LEFT the linebackers group and walked with Hopper to the other field, immediately throwing him into the fire against the smaller, more athletic wide receivers. Hopper didn't disappoint. He got reps right away and held his own against the wide receivers. The coaches made sure Hopper got at least three reps, and he kept his man in front of him, not allowing a WR to catch a pass against him. Chizik likes big, physical safeties in his scheme, and perhaps he can envision Hopper playing that role in a few years in a Carolina uniform.
THI - Noah Ellison.
*Hopper wasn't the only player in attendance who got a little extra attention from the coaches. Wide receiver Noah Ellison (6'2, 195, 2016) a three-star recruit from Timber Creek High School in Sickerville, N.J. was the standout pass catcher of the day.
With four Division I offers, Ellison was asked to stay with wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer after the other campers broke for lunch for extra drills. Brewer ran Ellison through a series of pass catching drills as Fedora watched from a distance.
Ellison has nice size and got in and out of his breaks well. His hands didn't die (remaining active) as he broke down, and he plucked the football out of the air when it came his way.
During 1-on-1 drills with the defensive backs, he showed off his leaping ability, catching a couple of passes that appeared over his head, at their highest point, which drew praise from Brewer.
It was one of the highlights of the day.
THI - Sterling Palmer.
Another wideout, Sterling Palmer (6'5, 200, 2017) out of Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, Va. was a physical specimen. His route running wasn't overly impressive, but he had excellent hands, not battling the ball at all.
Either way, 6'5, 200 pound rising juniors don't grow on trees. Palmer got a lot of coaching from Brewer and tight ends coach Seth Littrell between drills. Each time up, his route running looked better, but one thing was for certain - he caught everything that was close. Even some that weren't close, he was able to use his long arms and huge hands to snag in passes. With his size, Palmer is already comparable to current UNC WRs Quinshad Davis and Bug Howard.
Brewer was probably thinking the same thing watching Palmer run routes Monday.
