University of North Carolina Athletics
Countdown to Camp: Bunting Q&A
August 4, 2005 | Football
Aug. 4, 2005
Welcome to the eighth installment of TarHeelBlue.com's "Countdown to Camp" series. For the last two weeks, we've counted down the days until training camp opens on August 11. Now, it's just one week away. Beginning next Thursday when players report, TarHeelBlue.com will be the place to get exclusive training camp and practice reports you can't read anywhere else. We'll have daily stories and photos from practice beginning with the first session on August 12, so keep checking back.
The following Q&A is taken from an interview John Bunting did with Tar Heel Monthly for the football preview issue, which ships to subscribers this weekend. To find out how to order your football preview, which includes more than 25,000 words about the football Tar Heels from insiders like Lee Pace and exclusive interviews you won't read anywhere else (including a much longer version of this interview with John Bunting), click here.
Previous Countdown to Camp stories:
Adam Lucas: How much time do you really get to spend around your players in the summer?
Not very much at all, really. I might see someone around the building or when we're doing our camps, they might be close by. I see them around the building but that's about it.AL: What kind of advantage was it to have the freshmen here for summer school?
JB:
It's the first time the NCAA rules have allowed us to bring freshmen in. We got them involved in summer school and organized activities with the strength and conditioning staff. They were able to get a lot of things during the summer that they otherwise would have had to get at the same time they had football games going on. The fact that they're able to interact with the older guys is also good. Of course, some of the older players made fun of them because we had the freshmen on such a strict regimen with things to do at night and a curfew.I've enjoyed it because I've been able to do things I've never been able to do, like have the freshmen over to my house as a group for dinner. It will be a big benefit for them. They'll understand the resources we have for them and some of the other things that go on on this campus. They'll mature much more quickly.
AL: Which members of that class could play this year?
JB:
From a skill standpoint, I'm really interested in seeing what Cooter Arnold, Richie Rich, Nick Starcevic, and Kennedy Tinsley can do. Those guys look like men. All four of those guys are already in great shape. They will be very competitive in training camp and they have a chance to play. Jordan Hemby can fly and I'd like to see what he can do returning punts and kickoffs. I'm hopeful E.J. Wilson might be able to help us on special teams. And I'm hopeful one of the offensive line guys, probably Kyle Jolly or Garrett Reynolds, could play. Jolly might be able to help us this year. Hal (Hunter) and I will take a close look at that.AL: How about Richard Quinn. Could he play this year?
JB:
I think Quinn will play. Our goal is to get him into a position where he can do one thing well. We won't ask him to do all the movements or the specialty packages like 22 personnel (two tight ends and two backs). Justin (Phillips) can do that. We want to get him into a position where we can use his talent, which becomes very evident when you watch him compete. We'll get him into some passing situations. We want to find specific situations where he can get involved and help us win. He's got all the tools. He's got pass catching ability, size, quickness, and he has put on 20 pounds since he got here in January.AL: You mentioned special teams. How can the return game improve this year?
JB:
I want to take a real hard look at a number of the incoming guys to see if they can help us. I think our scheme on punt returns will improve. We're going to try and block more kicks this year and I think that will help us set up our punt return more effectively. We know Jarwarski (Pollock) can catch the ball. I want to find someone else and find out who that someone is early in camp.AL: How do freshmen react to your emphasis on special teams?
JB:
Some understand it early and some don't. Some expect to come in here and start right away at their position rather than on special teams. Some don't understand the high intensity and high emphasis I will place on special teams. A lot of them come from a high school where it's essentially an afterthought. Here it is an emphasis every single day.AL: What's your latest report on Ronnie McGill?
JB:
My understanding is that it's a 4-month process from the date of surgery until the day he's ready to play. We don't expect to have Ronnie available until the middle of the season.AL: How good is Barrington Edwards?
JB:
He has the potential to be a really good player. He has to remain focused. He has to continue to learn our system of offense. He can't get into the Georgia Tech game and revert and try to play his own game. He has to play in our system. I think he's getting it and he's working hard on it. He's a gym rat. He's around here all the time. You love to like him because he's so outgoing. He's our most anxious recruiter and he loves to help with recruiting.We have a good situation with this kid. The question there, because of Ronnie's situation, is who will be the backup. I'm a little nervous about that.
AL: Could night games at Kenan Stadium be the key to unlocking some of that football atmosphere you've talked about since coming to Carolina?
JB:
I sure hope so. I've been in the Smith Center so I know what our fans can be like. I saw our fans at those night games last year and they were great. I'd like to have another dose or two of that this year.Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
