The Tar Heel season opener is a week and a half away and the status of one key member of the team’s defense is still up in the air.
Late last week, it was revealed that inside linebacker Amare Campbell was dealing with a broken right hand and was going to be out of practice for the next couple of weeks. The initial reports said the expectation was that he wouldn’t have to miss this season opener, but that seems to be more of a question mark a week after those reports.
Linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen talked to the media on Thursday and was asked about where things stood with Campbell. He didn’t exactly come off as confident about his status, saying “he’ll be back in a couple of weeks”, which would be the day of the Minnesota game. When asked directly about him playing in that game, Thigpen simply said “I hope so”, a statement that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that he will be available. He praised Campbell’s toughness and said that he is confident that he will return, but the question is will it be in time for the team's important season opener?
With him on the shelf, the Tar Heels have had to play some of the younger guys alongside veteran Power Echols in hopes that someone can separate and prove they are able to contribute if needed. When talking about the battle the other day, Thigpen said that redshirt freshman Caleb LaVallee and sophomore Cade Law have put together good fall camps for them, seeming to give them an advantage in this battle prior to yesterday’s scrimmage. Fellow sophomore Michael Short and true freshman Ashton Woods are also battling hard to get themselves on the field if needed according to Thigpen. The scrimmage hopefully provided some answers here in case Campbell can’t play or is limited in Minneapolis.
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