The Tar Heels are in the midst of the second week of fall camp and on Tuesday we got the chance to hear from new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins for the first time this fall. Here are the biggest takeaways from what he had to say about where his defense stands right now.
Defense is Based on Playing Free and Fast
This is something that we heard with Gene Chizik, but it really feels like this scheme may finally be one that is playing more off of instincts than on learning a specific scheme. Edge rusher Des Evans said as much in his time with the media last week, telling them this is the easiest system to understand that he has played in during his time in Chapel Hill. Collins’ system is based on players playing “fast and free”, something that just didn’t seem to be the case under Jay Bateman and Gene Chizik despite them telling us that was the case. Both Kaimon Rucker and Power Echols raved about the simplicity of the scheme during ACC media days and talked about how aggressive the mindset is under Collins, as well, something that would be a welcome change after the extremely conservative system that Chizik ran.
Planning to Press More This Season With the Corners
One of the areas where Collins is talking about being more aggressive is the coverage on the outside. Chizik promised last season that he would press more on the outside, which turned out to not be the case by any stretch. This year, the team seems to be more equipped to press with Alijah Huzzie back on the outside and Marcus Allen having added weight in the offseason. Even Kaleb Cost has the frame to handle a more aggressive approach at the line of scrimmage out of his nickel spot. Pressing could allow the Tar Heels to take away some of those easy passes that have allowed teams to move the ball on them since Brown’s return to Chapel Hill back in 2019.
Three Battling for Backup Corner Reps
Speaking of outside corners, Collins confirmed that there is a three man race for rotational reps at the outside cornerback spots right now. JUCO transfer Tyrane Stewart continues to impress after a strong spring, while redshirt freshman Ty Adams is a guy who is standing out to Collins. True freshman Jalon Thompson has also shown Collins enough early in fall camp to have his name in the running as we close in on the start of the year. Ideally, this would be a spot where you could find two guys that you could trust playing significant snaps, but even finding one from this group would be incredibly helpful and limit the fatigue on the starting corners and keep them fresher deeper into the season.
Four Man Battle for Rotational Spots Continues at Inside Linebacker
Another battle that is commencing on that side of the ball is at inside linebacker, where the team is looking for rotational help behind Power Echols and Amare Campbell. Second year players Caleb LaVallee and Michael Short, true freshman Ashton Woods and sophomore walk-on Cade Law are the four that Collins mentioned as those battling for the second team reps there. Such as at corner, finding two would be ideal, but even just having one that they can trust to play important reps would be a big step in the right direction.
Depth is There Along the Defensive Front
Speaking of depth, the defensive line is an area that Collins is pretty confident has plenty of depth for this season. He raved in particular about the depth on the edges, where veterans Beau Atkinson and Jacolbe Cowan have had big offseasons and youngsters Jaybron Harvey and Tyler Thompson have also been making strides. The hope is that this group shows enough to help keep Kaimon Rucker a little fresher late in the season than he was last year.
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