Five Questions With DeAndre Smith

By Jeff Greenberg, GoHeels.com

1. What led you to saying yes to the job here at UNC?
"I first met Coach Fedora when he took over the program at Southern Miss. We talked about one of his spots then when he had an opening. That situation didn't end up working out but we had great conversations and I really appreciated the opportunity to connect with him and get to know each other. We kept the relationship going since then and would discuss different opportunities as they came up along the way. He was always great to talk with and helpful to me. When this opportunity came open I was excited and just really felt the timing was right and it was a good fit for everybody. So we jumped at the chance to come work on his staff here in Chapel Hill."

2. When you arrived on campus at UNC the excitement of the NFL Draft was unfolding with the UNC Pro Day and the NFL Combine. How did Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan getting drafted impact the reception you got or the conversations you've had on the recruiting trail?
"The kids love it, absolutely love it. When you're talking about the running back position, a lot of the kids you recruit talk about wanting to be "The Man" or get the bulk of the carries if they come to your school. Ultimately they all want to play in the NFL. It helps when they see both of running backs drafted in the same year. Both of those guys were invited to the NFL Combine in the same year, which doesn't really happen often. Only three other schools had multiple backs at the combine. It shows these guys that you don't have to carry the ball 30 times a game to get noticed and make your dreams become a reality. You may be capable of it but for longevity's sake it shows you that you can share the ball and still be highly productive. So I think those guys getting drafted helped show people that you really need two backs in this day and age of college football to be successful as a team and that you can still reach your goals as an individual as well. They saw that those dreams can come true if you play running back at UNC."

3. What's it like from a coaching perspective heading into the spring with little to no game experience in your position group?
"I've been in this situation before. I've had similar groups to this one and been able to have successful seasons with those guys. It's challenging, but it's also fun to me. When you have talented kids that are just young, but have no experience, you know you have a chance. We have talent in our room. It just hasn't had that chance to be seen in a game as much. It's actually a great situation because I'm new here and they're new in terms of stepping into a bigger role on the team. They're eager and they want to learn and be ready for that opportunity. So we can take these next steps and grow together. It gives me a chance to mold them into what I want them to look like when it's all said and done. I'm confident that the guys in my room can get the job done this season. They've done everything I've asked of them and you can see the desire in their eyes. They want to seize this opportunity and are working to get there."

4. Where do you feel like your guys got better this spring in practice?
"I think mentally, they worked hard and got better with their knowledge of their responsibilities within our scheme. It's not just knowing how to make plays. It's knowing where to be on your blocks. It's knowing what routes to run in the passing game. And it's also about knowing the different kinds of runs we use in our offense. They all got better in their knowledge of these concepts. You could see it on the field too through their progression of certain runs. There was a difference in how they were able to execute those runs later in the spring compared to the first practices. Our tempo also got faster as our knowledge increased. We're not a finished product by any means, but from an introductory standpoint we had a productive spring. These guys are new in terms of game experience. We had to build our foundation of knowing what to do within our offense and I think we accomplished that this spring."

5. What potential do you see in your group to make an impact this season on the field?
"I think we're going to be able to contribute what's been needed from the running backs in the past in this offense. We're going to be able to provide some versatility. We can split a guy out from the backfield. We'll be able to execute our different types of runs that the offense needs to be successful. The guys I have are capable of doing all of this. We still need to develop the prototypical bruiser-type back that can move the pile. I don't think we will have to limit the types of plays we run in this offense because we have multiple guys that can make plays and bring different skill sets to the table. We may see different guys make big plays from week to week, but I'm confident those plays will be made every week. I'm excited by our versatility and what that could mean to our offense. Our guys are ready for their opportunity and they will continue to work hard to be in a position to make the most out of those opportunities."

Players Mentioned

Elijah Hood

T.J. Logan

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