GoHeels Exclusive: Dyami Brown Ready To Break Out

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

When North Carolina takes the field for Saturday's season opener against South Carolina, Dyami Brown expects at least 11 friends and family members to be in the Bank of America Stadium stands.

But that's not all the Charlotte native said he's looking forward to as he begins his sophomore season in his hometown.

"I'm pretty excited. It's the (season) opener, at home, and my family and friends can see the game," Brown told GoHeels.com earlier this week. "And it's a big game for me because I feel like I'm going to have a breakout season this year."

There are certainly plenty of reasons to believe he might.

A four-star recruit and the No. 8 athlete in the Class of 2018 according to 247Sports, Brown enrolled at UNC a semester early last season and immediately set his sights on becoming a starter at outside receiver. By the end of spring ball, he'd seemingly accomplished that.

But the rest of Brown's freshman campaign, he said, didn't go as planned.

Despite catching at least one pass in nine of the 10 games he played in, he finished the season with 17 receptions for 173 yards. His season highs of three catches and 35 yards came against East Carolina and Syracuse, respectively. He recorded only one touchdown, a 19-yard grab that gave the Tar Heels the lead for good in a 38-35 victory over Pittsburgh.

Looking back now, Brown said he expected success to come a bit easier. He hasn't dwelled on that, though. Instead, he spent the offseason trying to establish himself as a leader and a reliable option in the passing game following Anthony Ratliff-Williams' departure to the NFL.

"I had to step up and be a leader, and I had to find out everything I was doing wrong last year that didn't work," Brown said. "I had to find out stuff I needed to work on and just be me. I just opened up, gained my confidence back, and now I'm ready."

Brown said he hesitated to lead last season, thinking his words wouldn't carry nearly as much weight as an upperclassman's. But he's become more vocal, while still trying to lead by example.

As a receiver, Brown said he concentrated on improving his releases. He also wanted to get better at catching deep balls; his longest grab last season was for 21 yards, partly the result of some inconsistency at quarterback.

Brown knew Cade Fortin, Sam Howell and Jace Ruder could all end up starting at quarterback ahead of fall camp. So, in an effort to build rapport with each of them, he met with them individually on different days throughout the summer. Whichever routes he ran with one quarterback, he ran with the others, as well.

"Then when (the coaching staff) took a step forward and named who's getting the most reps at a certain group, I just worked with that quarterback just for that group," Brown said. "All summer, every day it was, 'You wanna throw? You wanna throw? You wanna catch? You wanna catch?' That's how we built the chemistry."

That chemistry is a significant reason why Brown thinks he's in line for a big year. Just as important, though, has been how he's transformed his body.

Brown arrived in Chapel Hill weighing 171 pounds. He was then able to pack on some muscle before last season. But like every player on the roster, he's greatly benefited from the hiring of head strength and conditioning coach Brian Hess. The receiver said he now weighs 195.

Those weight-room results are translating to the field.

"He's gotten more physical," Toe Groves said. "He's finishing blocks, fighting through hands and arm tackles, fighting through when he's getting pressed and he's got guys trying to slow him down because he's fast. … He's gotten stronger and can fight them off and get into what he does best, which is use his speed."

Although Brown admits he's not faster than his brother, freshman receiver Khafre Brown, his track speed has always been his calling card. It's what stood out most to wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway when he recruited the West Mecklenburg High School star at Louisville.

In Phil Longo's Air Raid offense, Brown's ability to take the top off the defense should allow other players to find open grass. He'll also be free to react to whatever he sees.

"It's a skill player's offense," Galloway said. "We want to be able to push the ball down the field. Obviously, we're going to do what it takes to win the game, but he brings an element of being able to stretch the field and run all the routes – intermediate routes, deep routes, short stuff. He has a great knowledge of what we want to do offensively."

That's boosted Brown's confidence. So, too, has a more subtle change. After wearing No. 21 as a freshman, Brown will sport No. 2 this season.

"I wore 2 all my life," Brown said. "I won championships in it, won multiple games in it. That's just me. I've always had a confidence with 2, so I changed my number and I got my confidence back. I feel like I'm me now."

And he feels primed for success.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Dyami Brown

Khafre Brown

Cade Fortin

Anthony Ratliff-Williams

Jace Ruder

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