We move over to the defensive side of the football with our in-depth position previews and focus on the unit that will be the key to the success of Geoff Collins first defense in Chapel Hill, the defensive front.
Mack Brown finally moved off of defensive line coach Tim Cross this offseason and now leaves it in the hands of former NFL assistant Ted Monachino, who was a special assistant last year. Former LSU defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey will also be a huge help this season now that analysts are allowed to be involved with on-field coaching. Hopefully these changes will be what this group needs to start seeing some development from a talented collection of players.
Senior RUSH end Kaimon Rucker is the leader of this group and is looking to build off of a huge junior season. His 60 quarterback pressures are the third most of any player returning to college football this season and his 15.0 tackles for loss were the most by a Tar Heel since 2013. Rucker also posted the most sacks in a season (8.5) since Tomon Fox back in 2021. While he was the most consistent pass rusher the team has had since Kareem Martin was on campus, the next step is for him to close the season strong and reach the double-digit sack mark, something that can be achieved by not wearing him out the way the staff did last year (894 snaps, 2nd most amongst DL).
Rucker is the star and just like last year, everyone else around him needs to step up if this defense is going to improve. The other edge rusher position will once again be in the hands of senior Des Evans, who simply has yet to live up to expectations so far in his career. He is coming off the best season of his career, though, where he finished with 33 total tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and 29 quarterback pressures, the latter of which was the second most on the team a year ago. He needs to be more impactful on a down-to-down basis, especially in the run game, to give the Tar Heels legitimate edge rusher tandem for the first time since the early days of Larry Fedora.
Sophomore Beau Atkinson will play a big role off the edge as well and could eventually become the starter if he can build on what he did a year ago. He played less than half the snaps that Evans did, but he was far more effective. In 229 snaps, he racked 19 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 14 quarterback pressures. If he starts the season strong again, it’ll be hard to keep him off the field.
At defensive tackle, there are a host of guys who simply underperformed last year. Senior Kevin Hester Jr. was the best of the group, especially in run defense. He finished with 30 total tackles but failed to register a single tackle for loss and produced just nine quarterback pressures in 411 reps. He simply has to produce more negative plays this season if this defense wants to take a step forward considering how much he’ll be playing.
Senior Jahvaree Ritzie is likely the starter alongside Hester Jr. and he too needs to show improvement from last season. He struggled mightily in run defense, grading out as the team’s worst run defender and tackler on Pro Football Focus. He had a solid season as a pass rusher, but if he doesn’t improve in the other areas of the game, it’s going to open the door for others to step up.
Junior Travis Shaw has impressed the staff so far this offseason, but it has to translate when it matters. Last year was a step back after showing promise late in his true freshman season back in 2022. Like Ritzie, he had a rough year in run defense and even worse year as a pass rusher. Because of those struggles, he played just 133 snaps and registered just one tackle for loss and zero quarterback pressures. The Tar Heels are hoping that the new staff can unlock the force that they thought they were getting when he came out of the high school ranks as a top 20 overall prospect. Another thing to note with him is that he could miss some time early in the season following some legal issues in the offseason.
Senior Joshua Harris will also be a part of the rotation on the interior. The former Ole Miss and NC State player lost reps late last year in Oxford but brings a big body that can fill gaps in the middle. He has to be better in run defense than he was this past season, but there is some potential there as a pass rusher. Considering he’s never played more than 200 snaps in a season, it’s hard to see him becoming anything more than the fourth option at defensive tackle.
At RUSH end, the search for depth continues. Sophomore Malaki Hamrick is coming off a promising spring and is the most likely player to join the rotation this season. He missed all of last year after suffering a knee injury last spring, but was able to get some valuable reps with the ones back in April to make up for what he lost a year ago. He too has to navigate a legal issue which could see him having to serve a suspension, but fall camp is a great chance for him to prove he is ready to see meaningful snaps whenever he is available to hit the field.
A pair of redshirt freshmen will be attempting to challenge Hamrick to earn that rotational role. Jaybron Harvey has bulked up significantly this offseason and is coming off a solid spring. Unfortunately, he was on a scooter during the spring game with a left leg injury, something that is hopefully healed as we head into fall camp. If he can impress the staff again, there is a chance he could be the guy that becomes the rotational option there.
Tyler Thompson may have a little more work to do if he wants to be a part of the rotation. He wasn’t talked about nearly as much as the others were in the spring and he had a quiet spring game. He has the talent to make an impact here, but he’ll need to do more in fall camp if he wants to be able to see meaningful snaps this season.
True freshmen Curtis Simpson and Daniel Anderson will provide deeper depth in the room. Both guys should be looking to factor in on special teams this season.
At the other end spot, senior Jacolbe Cowan will provide depth again. Last year, he played just 47 snaps due to injury, but he did produce a sack and two quarterback pressures in those limited snaps. It’s hard to expect him to play a lot of snaps with Evans and Atkinson in front of him, but he is capable of playing significant reps if needed.
On the interior, two redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen will provide depth. Both Rodney Lora and Joel Starlings had flashes in the spring game, but it just feels like there is too much in front of them right now to contribute. Peter Pesansky and Leroy Jackson are both summer enrollees who will have some learning to do in fall camp.
The room will have just one walk-on this season, redshirt freshman Damon Bremer.
Projected Depth Chart
DE
#10 Des Evans, Sr.
#12 Beau Atkinson, So.
#93 Jacolbe Cowan, Sr.
#95 Daniel Anderson, Fr.
#96 Damon Bremer, RFr.
NT
#98 Kevin Hester Jr., Sr.
# 4 Travis Shaw, Jr.
#94 Joel Starlings, RFr.
#91 Leroy Jackson, Fr.
DT
# 5 Jahvaree Ritzie, Sr.
# 6 Joshua Harris, Sr.
#92 Rodney Lora, RFr.
#51 Peter Pesansky, Fr.
RUSH
# 7 Kaimon Rucker, Sr.
#24 Mali Hamrick, So.
#14 Jaybron Harvey, RFr.
#40 Tyler Thompson, RFr.
#33 Curtis Simpson, Fr.
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