University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Opening Day
August 1, 2014 | Football
by Turner Walston, GoHeels.com
An hour before Carolina football's first practice of training camp began, all was rather quiet on Navy Fields. Student managers and video staff buzzed around in John Deere Gator utility vehicles, hauling equipment and prepping water bottles for the session to come. Two fields away, the Tar Heel men's soccer team kicked around to begin training of its own. The soccer players were well within earshot when the first song of the day, Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star," began blaring from the Navy Fields PA system.
Not long after that, the Tar Heels were on the field for the first of 20 scheduled practices. Larry Fedora, complete with sunglasses and visor, stalked the field to oversee his charges. The Tar Heels are in their third year under Fedora, and every player on the roster was either recruited and signed by his staff or has two seasons and three springs in his fast-paced no-huddle offense and 4-2-5 defense under their belts.
Many playmakers return from a year ago. In many cases, talented youth has become experienced talent, and the potential is there for the team to make a run in the ACC's wide-open Coastal Division.
But much must happen between now and kickoff against Liberty on August 30. One of the first steps of the fall was punt practice. Four strings of punting units went through the motions, with the head coach, five assistant coaches and three graduate assistants watching closely. Explode out of the stance. Stay in your lane. Cover. Want to know why Carolina excels on special teams? Because of that kind of attention to detail.
From there, it was 11-on-11 walkthroughs. New staff members blended right in. Seth Littrell wore the play-caller's headset. Keith Heckendorf oversaw his quarterbacks, and Larry Porter was there with his ball-carriers, including freshman Elijah Hood, who ran hard to find holes, then burst upfield.
Then, the Heels broke into their position groups, with Chris Kapilovic putting his offensive linemen through their paces. For the Tar Heels to have success moving the football, it starts up front. Veteran assistant Gunter Brewer assembled his receivers, the 'FREAKs', as Whodini's "Freaks Come Out at Night" cut through the morning air.
The Tar Heels smiled and laughed as their feet found familiar turf Friday morning. Ryan Switzer appreciated the cool temperatures and even the light rain. "Hey," he said. "I could do camp every day if it was like this." Though he lamented the breaking-in process of his new cleats, Norkeithus Otis looked the part of the undisputed leader on defense.
All in all, the coaches and support staff ran practice with all the efficiency of a well-moved machine. There was no wasted motion, no wasted time as players ran from place to place, all in preparation for the kind of fast pace the Fedora wants to impose on opponents on Saturdays. The veterans know the drill; the freshmen will learn quickly.
It's day one, and there are 19 practices and an untold number of meetings to come before game week preparation begins on August 25. But there is reason for excitement. The calendar flipped overnight. It is August, and the season begins in August. Football is here. Welcome back.
