University of North Carolina Athletics
A Q&A With Coach Ken Browning: Part II
July 21, 2003 | Football
By: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue: Do you think we'll see many two tight end sets this fall?
Coach Browning: "We want to, we did it some in the spring. It obviously depends on how well our second guy develops. Can he handle the running part of it, can he handle the blocking part of it? I know Bobby is a very good receiver. I also need to see that out of my second guy."
TarHeelBlue: Tell me about last year.
Coach Browning: "It was very difficult. I certainly don't want to ever get used to losing. We lost more games last year than I did the last eleven or twelve years I was at Northern Durham.
"I have to give credit to the kids I was coaching. I never had a problem with them giving up or not working hard, something that can happen to a group that's not doing well. I appreciate the effort they gave.
"As a coach you don't want to change how you coach them, they deserve our best, and the team deserves their best. The only true measure of character is what kind of character you have during adversity. It's easy to have a good attitude when you're winning."
TarHeelBlue: Speaking of attitude, how is the attitude of the team now?
Coach Browning: "I think it's really good. They were disappointed in last year, just like the coaches were, but you learn from it, you put it behind you and move on.
"When you're a competitor and you experience a loss or a string of losses, you want another chance. You don't want to fold your tent up, you want to get right back out there.
"We've got another tough schedule this year, but guys who really like to compete know that you get better by playing good people."
TarHeelBlue: How about you? You've been doing this a long time. Are you still as motivated as ever?
Coach Browning: "I think I am, I know I am. I fell in love with this game when I was little but, as much as I enjoy the game, I probably enjoy the players more. I always want to give them the best I've got. They deserve the best you've got to give them."
TarHeelBlue: You've been heavily involved in recruiting for a long time. Would you analyze last year's effort?
Coach Browning: "We did a good job at targeting players earlier at positions where we knew we would need help, we did a better job of selling the university in all ways. Plus, the second year of a transition is easier than the first year. The biggest problems in recruiting are when you go through transitions, whether it's the head coach leaving or several members of a staff.
"Speaking for the offensive coaches, our first year here was a matter of installing our system and getting comfortable with working with one another. There were a lot of pure coaching issues to be resolved. Sometimes we just ran out of minutes in the day.
"I think John Bunting is an excellent recruiter. He's a sharp guy, and the fact that it was his second go around at recruiting was a big plus for us. He's a very quick learner. He learned a great deal after his first year. He's a very quick study on things like recruiting.
"We also did a better job when the kids were on campus, our official visits were much better. We created some good momentum with some early commitments by some excellent prospects. Those guys really helped us with our recruiting efforts. They never waivered even though we were going through a tough season. They knew that we're all in this for the long run. They really stood up for us.
"Whenever you build something right you have to build a foundation, whether it's recruiting or something else. It's a process, and it's not an overnight one.
"I think we got some good kids. Some of the guys we signed who weren't very highly rated may turn out to be outstanding players. I don't want to put the onus on them by naming them, but there's a couple of kids who are really going to surprise people. When you have that kind of thing happen you've had a very solid recruiting year."
TarHeelBlue: Coach Lawing is now the Recruiting Coordinator, and you've been named the Director of High School Relations. Tell me about your new role.
Coach Browning: "A lot of my role is actually jobs that I've been doing in one way or another since I've been here. A lot of the responsibilities that come with this position are the same things that Coach Brown gave me when I first came here.
"There are some things regarding high school relations that I'm sure we can upgrade, and I'll have more time to work on those things since I'll be spending less time on pure recruiting. I'll still be recruiting an area as always, but I won't be spread as thin.
"I really enjoy interacting with high school coaches, getting to know them and their staffs, finding out what their needs are."
TarHeelBlue: How is the talent level within the state?
Coach Browning: "It's very good year in and year out. If you look at the number of in-state kids who sign Division I scholarships each year, it's very impressive.
"Most recruiting at the high school level is projection. Being a good high school player doesn't always result in being a good Division I player. It's just like a lot of college All-Americans don't make great pro players.
"Being able to assess talent is every bit as important as being able to recruit talent. It doesn't help your program at all if you've done a great job recruiting somebody if he's not the right guy.
"Another thing is we don't want to limit ourselves in recruiting to just the guys in our state if we can improve our team by recruiting a guy from out of state, but I think you always look inside your state first. If there's a great player from within the state you always take him first if he meets our requirements regarding character and academics."
TarHeelBlue: How are our relations with the high school coaches?
Coach Browning: "I think they're good, but I think that the more the coaches get to know John Bunting, the more they're going to like him. Anyone who doesn't like him probably don't know him. The more that people are around him the more they realize that he's the real thing, he's the genuine article."
TarHeelBlue: You and Coach Lawing obviously have to work very closely together.
Coach Browning: "We do, and it's going well. Brad has a lot of experience in recruiting from a couple of different places. He knows not only how they did it at Michigan St., but also how they did it at South Carolina, which came from ideas Brad Scott brought from Florida State Then that gives you some insight into how programs that are modeled after Florida State operate.
"I don't think there's any master plan that says 'OK, we'll take this plan and apply it to every guy we recruit.' It doesn't work that way, every recruit is different. What turns one guy on might turn another guy off.
"It still comes down to the individual coach who's recruiting a guy to take his pulse and determine what do we need to do to attract that kid. I can't do that for a coach, Brad can't do that, it's up to the individual coach.
"It's the same thing with the high school coaches in the state. With over 300 high schools in the state I can't have an individual relationship with every coach and their assistants, so a lot of that falls back on which coach has that school geographically.
"With all the limitations imposed by the NCAA today, you can't spend as much time on the road as you used to be able to do. You have to be more creative now.
"In the long run, once they know that you're treating them fairly and honestly and that you want to recruit players from this state, and they know that we want to help football in this state, it kind of becomes a group proposition. When coaches in the state and the coaches at 'The' University of North Carolina work together to improve football in this state, then you've got a good start on something great happening."
