GoHeels Exclusive: Free

By Pat James

Here he comes No. 98 in navy, trotting back onto the Kenan Stadium field.

As Freeman Jones lines up for and then makes a 37-yard field goal, a collective yell echoes from both the offensive and defensive sidelines as Sunday's second scrimmage nears its conclusion.

"Free!" screams nearly every player as the ball splits the uprights. It's the same reaction he's elicited from his teammates on his other three attempts of the morning – all makes. And if all goes well, it's the same one fans will regularly have on Saturdays this fall.

Such excitement was rarely generated by the UNC field goal unit in 2014, when it converted just six of 13 attempts. With little confidence in the kicking game, the offense often went for it on fourth down in what normally would have been field goal range.

Then came Nick Weiler. After splitting kicking duties with Thomas Moore in 2014, Weiler made 35 of 44 field goals between 2015 and 2016. None was more important than his 54-yard game-winner against Florida State last season, which cemented his name in Tar Heel lore.

Now with Weiler gone, Jones looks to continue providing a reliable kicking option for the Tar Heels, who could be searching for points in any way they can get them following the departure of several offensive weapons.

"It doesn't matter if you're at (Division 1) college football, if you're playing junior (college) football, three points is three points," Jones said. "And to me, as long as you prepare yourself and are ready for the moment, there should never be any question of, 'Oh, crap, is this kicker going to make this kick or not?'

"Hopefully the coaches aren't thinking, 'Is he going to make this?' (Hopefully) it's automatic and something you shouldn't even worry about."

Before arriving in Chapel Hill, Jones was touted as the No. 5 kicker in the Class of 2014 by 247sports.com and No. 8 by Scout.com. He also appeared in the U.S. Army All-America all-star game.

However, after redshirting in 2014 and then getting beat out by Weiler for the starting job the following season, Jones has played in just two games for UNC. He made an extra point in the win over Duke in 2015 and attempted two onside kicks in the ACC Championship Game later that season.

Despite his lack of playing time, Jones says he benefitted from observing and competing with Weiler.

Jones describes his relationship with Weiler as "businesslike." Although Weiler assisted Jones in some areas of his game, Jones said the elder statesman never revealed all of his secrets when the duo still competed against each other.

Jones, however, picked up on some keys to Weiler's success just by watching him.

"Whatever little things I could observe and pick up from him, I tried to put in my bag and see how they would help me," Jones said. "We wouldn't really talk about the mental part of the game, but I could just tell in his eyes that he was not going to be denied."

That's the same approach Jones says he has taken into fall camp. It's evident on the field, where he's 7-for-7 on field goals through the Tar Heels' first two scrimmages, and with the confidence he displays when speaking about his role on the team.

During Sunday's scrimmage, Larry Fedora challenged Jones and Noah Ruggles by testing them from 40-plus yards multiple times and also swapping out holders and snappers. Both finished 4-for-4.

"We mixed it up quite a bit," Fedora said. "It didn't shake either one of them. They both put it through the middle of the uprights, so that was really nice. We're still working hard on all of the other phases, but that was really nice."

Jones hasn't been awarded the starting job quite yet. He and Ruggles are still competing, and Fedora likely won't announce who the starter is until just before the season opener against California on Sept. 2.

But despite improvements by Ruggles since the start of camp, Jones said he remains solely fixated on showing the coaching staff what he's capable of.

"That's an uncontrollable so I don't even want to spend time thinking about who the other guys are or what they're doing," Jones said. "I want to make sure they're comfortable and feel like they're a part of this team, but I'm just worried about myself and doing what I have to do."

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Freeman Jones

Noah Ruggles

Nick Weiler

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