University of North Carolina Athletics
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GoHeels Exclusive: Phil Longo Notebook
August 12, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Phil Longo, perhaps as much as anyone, would've liked to have seen some separation in North Carolina's three-man quarterback competition by now.
But through the first 10 practices of training camp, Cade Fortin, Sam Howell and Jace Ruder remain dead even. And that, according to UNC's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is not a bad thing.
"To be honest with you, I would've hoped, maybe, we were starting to have a little bit of a pecking order," Longo told reporters after Monday's practice. "But they're competing their tails off right now. We've got a three-man race for the Q spot and that's why you see everybody getting even reps. I like where we are in Day 10, progress-wise, with all three quarterbacks."
All three arrived in Chapel Hill as highly-rated recruits, Fortin and Ruder a year ago and Howell as the headliner of Mack Brown's first recruiting class. The similarities don't stop there.
"The similarities are obviously how intelligent they are and how they manage it," Longo said. "I think right now, leadership-wise, they're all on the same page. Cade Fortin is probably our best pure passer. Jace Ruder might be the best overall athlete of the three. And Sam may be the best combination of the two; maybe not as pure of a passer as Cade or as much of a runner as Jace, but he can do a little of both."
Brown has repeatedly said there's no set timetable for naming a starting quarterback ahead of the season opener against South Carolina. He has, however, noted that the best opportunity for any of the quarterbacks to build separation will be during the team's instrasquad scrimmages.
The first of those was held Saturday at Kenan Stadium. But Fortin and Howell competed to a draw as Ruder was sidelined by a lower body injury that he's since returned from. Brown said untimely mistakes led to an inconsistent performance by the offense. Longo also said he called multiple plays that the offense had been struggling to execute in an attempt to polish them.
The Tar Heels will scrimmage again this Saturday. Longo shared his expectations for what he'll be looking for from the quarterbacks then and going forward.
"You want them to execute the offense," Longo said. "You want them to make good decisions. You want them to grip and rip the football quickly, because we don't want to hold that and stress the offensive line. We want them to make good decisions when we're running the ball. And I think our quarterbacks are doing that.Â
"This is a very, very intelligent room that I have; I'm very fortunate. All three guys are really bright, they grasp the offense, they understand it, and I think, ultimately, the thing that will separate one from the others will be securing the football and it'll be leadership."
Although all three quarterbacks will likely continue splitting reps equally, as they've done since spring ball, until one shows they can move the ball and score points more consistently than the others, Longo said they're taking enough mental reps to grasp his "Air Raid" offense. When one player is taking a live rep, the other two are mimicking the play behind him.
Longo also said the quarterbacks are benefiting from not having to balance academics and football; the fall semester begins Aug. 20. Outside of practice, the quarterbacks attend position meetings with Longo. He also meets with them individually to discuss their specific needs.
But at no point in all their time with Longo have any of the quarterbacks asked for his opinion on who the starter will be.
"I think they know what our plan is, they know what the routine is and they know what reps they're getting," Longo said. "So right now, they're all just focused on trying to make the most of those reps. The time will come where we're going to declare a starter and then we'll address it one, two and three with all of them accordingly."
Running back depth
No matter what a quarterback's age might be, Longo said an effective running back room will always take pressure off the quarterback and the offensive line. And he seems to believe the trio of Michael Carter, Antonio Williams and Javonte Williams will be able to do just that.
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"The words 'Air Raid' really refer to our philosophy when we throw it," Longo said. "We want the running game to be as prolific and efficient as our passing game. … We are excited about the depth we have in the running back room, we want to keep that depth healthy and we plan on using all the guys we have in that room."
Looking for 'maturation at receiver'
After spring ball, receivers coach Lonnie Galloway said he'd like to employ seven or eight receivers in a game. Although he didn't mention a specific number, Longo said Monday that Carolina has enough receivers to run the offense.
"We have some very, very athletic receivers who can make plays in space," Longo said. "We have a few guys who are a little bit longer and they are doing a lot with that frame. And then we have some guys who if we can get the ball to them in some open grass they have some explosive ability – Dazz Newsome being one of them. That will be the plan with the receiver room. I think our maturation at receiver between now and the opening game is probably the biggest focus."
Brown often referenced how drops were an issue in the spring. But that hasn't been the case during training camp.
"Coach Galloway has done a great job emphasizing that," Longo said. "Sometimes you don't even have to have a lot of dropped passes; you can just have one or two key drops in a game, and that can change the outcome of a football game. That's been emphasized. We do a lot of ball drill stuff preseason, they did a lot of stuff in the summer, and I think we're catching the ball a lot better right now than we were in the spring.
'Some continuity' along the O-line
Charlie Heck and Nick Polino have both said offensive line coach Stacy Searels' goal is to head into the South Carolina game with eight to 10 linemen who can contribute. Longo said Searels is still trying to figure out who some of those players might be.
"(Searels has) done a really good job of creating some continuity up front and that will be our focus from here through South Carolina," Longo said. "It's just locking in our front five and then knowing who is the third tackle, who is the third guard, who is the backup center. That's kind of where we are right now. We probably are happy with four or five of the eight."
Heck, Ed Montilus and Jordan Tucker appear to be the likely starters at left tackle, left guard and right tackle, respectively. The Tar Heels are still trying to settle on the center and right guard spots, one of which figures to be occupied by Polino. The fifth-year senior continues taking snaps at both positions.
A seasoned tight end room
Perhaps overlooked by some, the tight end position is one of UNC's most experienced, headlined by two seniors in Carl Tucker and Jake Bargas.
"We have a very athletic, very dangerous, very prolific tight end in Carl Tucker," Longo said. "And then what Coach (Tim) Brewster has down with Jake Bargas, I've got to credit Jake – he's one of the hardest working guys on the team. He's a leader, both by example and vocally. We have a little bit of depth in the tight end room and I am excited about those two."
Phil Longo, perhaps as much as anyone, would've liked to have seen some separation in North Carolina's three-man quarterback competition by now.
But through the first 10 practices of training camp, Cade Fortin, Sam Howell and Jace Ruder remain dead even. And that, according to UNC's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is not a bad thing.
"To be honest with you, I would've hoped, maybe, we were starting to have a little bit of a pecking order," Longo told reporters after Monday's practice. "But they're competing their tails off right now. We've got a three-man race for the Q spot and that's why you see everybody getting even reps. I like where we are in Day 10, progress-wise, with all three quarterbacks."
All three arrived in Chapel Hill as highly-rated recruits, Fortin and Ruder a year ago and Howell as the headliner of Mack Brown's first recruiting class. The similarities don't stop there.
"The similarities are obviously how intelligent they are and how they manage it," Longo said. "I think right now, leadership-wise, they're all on the same page. Cade Fortin is probably our best pure passer. Jace Ruder might be the best overall athlete of the three. And Sam may be the best combination of the two; maybe not as pure of a passer as Cade or as much of a runner as Jace, but he can do a little of both."
Brown has repeatedly said there's no set timetable for naming a starting quarterback ahead of the season opener against South Carolina. He has, however, noted that the best opportunity for any of the quarterbacks to build separation will be during the team's instrasquad scrimmages.
The first of those was held Saturday at Kenan Stadium. But Fortin and Howell competed to a draw as Ruder was sidelined by a lower body injury that he's since returned from. Brown said untimely mistakes led to an inconsistent performance by the offense. Longo also said he called multiple plays that the offense had been struggling to execute in an attempt to polish them.
The Tar Heels will scrimmage again this Saturday. Longo shared his expectations for what he'll be looking for from the quarterbacks then and going forward.
"You want them to execute the offense," Longo said. "You want them to make good decisions. You want them to grip and rip the football quickly, because we don't want to hold that and stress the offensive line. We want them to make good decisions when we're running the ball. And I think our quarterbacks are doing that.Â
"This is a very, very intelligent room that I have; I'm very fortunate. All three guys are really bright, they grasp the offense, they understand it, and I think, ultimately, the thing that will separate one from the others will be securing the football and it'll be leadership."
Although all three quarterbacks will likely continue splitting reps equally, as they've done since spring ball, until one shows they can move the ball and score points more consistently than the others, Longo said they're taking enough mental reps to grasp his "Air Raid" offense. When one player is taking a live rep, the other two are mimicking the play behind him.
Longo also said the quarterbacks are benefiting from not having to balance academics and football; the fall semester begins Aug. 20. Outside of practice, the quarterbacks attend position meetings with Longo. He also meets with them individually to discuss their specific needs.
But at no point in all their time with Longo have any of the quarterbacks asked for his opinion on who the starter will be.
"I think they know what our plan is, they know what the routine is and they know what reps they're getting," Longo said. "So right now, they're all just focused on trying to make the most of those reps. The time will come where we're going to declare a starter and then we'll address it one, two and three with all of them accordingly."
Running back depth
No matter what a quarterback's age might be, Longo said an effective running back room will always take pressure off the quarterback and the offensive line. And he seems to believe the trio of Michael Carter, Antonio Williams and Javonte Williams will be able to do just that.
Â
"The words 'Air Raid' really refer to our philosophy when we throw it," Longo said. "We want the running game to be as prolific and efficient as our passing game. … We are excited about the depth we have in the running back room, we want to keep that depth healthy and we plan on using all the guys we have in that room."
Looking for 'maturation at receiver'
After spring ball, receivers coach Lonnie Galloway said he'd like to employ seven or eight receivers in a game. Although he didn't mention a specific number, Longo said Monday that Carolina has enough receivers to run the offense.
"We have some very, very athletic receivers who can make plays in space," Longo said. "We have a few guys who are a little bit longer and they are doing a lot with that frame. And then we have some guys who if we can get the ball to them in some open grass they have some explosive ability – Dazz Newsome being one of them. That will be the plan with the receiver room. I think our maturation at receiver between now and the opening game is probably the biggest focus."
Brown often referenced how drops were an issue in the spring. But that hasn't been the case during training camp.
"Coach Galloway has done a great job emphasizing that," Longo said. "Sometimes you don't even have to have a lot of dropped passes; you can just have one or two key drops in a game, and that can change the outcome of a football game. That's been emphasized. We do a lot of ball drill stuff preseason, they did a lot of stuff in the summer, and I think we're catching the ball a lot better right now than we were in the spring.
'Some continuity' along the O-line
Charlie Heck and Nick Polino have both said offensive line coach Stacy Searels' goal is to head into the South Carolina game with eight to 10 linemen who can contribute. Longo said Searels is still trying to figure out who some of those players might be.
"(Searels has) done a really good job of creating some continuity up front and that will be our focus from here through South Carolina," Longo said. "It's just locking in our front five and then knowing who is the third tackle, who is the third guard, who is the backup center. That's kind of where we are right now. We probably are happy with four or five of the eight."
Heck, Ed Montilus and Jordan Tucker appear to be the likely starters at left tackle, left guard and right tackle, respectively. The Tar Heels are still trying to settle on the center and right guard spots, one of which figures to be occupied by Polino. The fifth-year senior continues taking snaps at both positions.
A seasoned tight end room
Perhaps overlooked by some, the tight end position is one of UNC's most experienced, headlined by two seniors in Carl Tucker and Jake Bargas.
"We have a very athletic, very dangerous, very prolific tight end in Carl Tucker," Longo said. "And then what Coach (Tim) Brewster has down with Jake Bargas, I've got to credit Jake – he's one of the hardest working guys on the team. He's a leader, both by example and vocally. We have a little bit of depth in the tight end room and I am excited about those two."
Players Mentioned
Tight End
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Running Back
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Offensive Line
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Offensive Line
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Wide Receiver
/ Football
Offensive Line
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Quarterback
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Tight End
/ Football
Offensive Line
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Running Back
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Running Back
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