University of North Carolina Athletics
GoHeels Exclusive: Carl Tucker Q&A
March 20, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
A year removed from his sophomore season ending prematurely because of an injury, Carl Tucker returned last season and posted the best campaign of his North Carolina career.
Tucker appeared in 10 games and started six at tight end. Although he only had 16 catches for 265 yards, he averaged 8.1 yards after the catch per reception and didn't allow a quarterback pressure on 30 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. That earned him a spot on the website's All-ACC first team.
Tucker spoke with reporters after UNC's fourth spring practice on Tuesday. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
Q: How quickly did you have a lot more optimism about how things might play out moving forward here after Mack Brown came in and started hiring assistants?
Carl Tucker: It's the kind of thing where you can't look back, you can only look forward. All you can do is buy into what he's doing. And as long as you buy in, you've just got to trust the coaches, just like they have to come in and trust us. I feel like as long as we have a circle of trust going around, it's nothing but up.
Q: A couple of the guys said it's kind of neat that, given what he was able to do, he could've continued on TV. He didn't have to come back and coach. It made them feel really good, the fact that he thought they were worth coaching. Do you feel the same way?
CT: Absolutely. I think it's really cool that he has all these accolades. He has nothing to prove. He's the kind of guy that's been there, done that, and that's really cool for me and definitely for the team, that he would come back just to coach us. That gives us a lot of confidence, it gives us a lot of hope. It shows that he definitely does believe in us, and he definitely does trust in us.
Q: Because of what he's achieved, is there automatically a higher standard here from Day 1?
CT: Yeah, and he sets that. He gives us a lot, but in return he expects a lot. It's not a hard thing to do. I don't think it's an unfair thing to do because he respects us so much and treats us so well. He just expects something else from us.
Q: What has it been like working with Tim Brewster so far?
CT: It's been cool. He definitely has a fire about him on the field, but he definitely knows what he's talking about. My stance has gotten a lot better working with him, so I'm excited to do more with him.
Q: With the way the offense is running, how is the tight end incorporated into it?
CT: We're incorporated a lot more. We're here to do more and I feel like we're able to do more within the offense. We're in the position to contribute more in this offense.
Q: Do you find yourself with a hand on the ground more in this offense, or less?
CT: Hand on the ground a lot less. I haven't had my hand on the ground since we've been here, since this offense has been in. It's kind of nice. We haven't done goal-line stuff yet, so, nothing yet.
Q: With Brandon Fritts sustaining his injury, how much has that changed your role in the offense and how much has that affected you?
CT: It's affected us in the way that we just miss him, and it sucks to see him off. All we can do is move forward and pray for him and hope for the best. I've been here before, he's been in that situation before, I've had to step up and do what I'm supposed to do. Everybody knows they've got to step up and do what they're supposed to do. So it's nothing new to us.
Q: Is there a noticeable difference with Jace Ruder and Cade Fortin now that they've been through a full season, and if there is a difference, what is that difference?
CT: Confidence. It's easier for them to run the offense, it's easier for them to speak up and take control. They're a lot more loose, they're letting it go more often and that's fun to see.
