Extra Points: Pit Bosses

The walls of one first-floor hallway of Kenan Football Center are decorated with large, colorful photos of Tar Heel players who went on to noteworthy careers in the NFL. There are plenty of defensive ends, tackles and nose men in the mix, including Julius Peppers, Ebenezer Ekuban, Greg Ellis, Vonnie Holliday, Marcus Jones, Robert Quinn, Ryan Sims, Kentwan Balmer and Sylvester Williams. So vaunted was Carolina's production of defensive front men during a decade-long run from 1993 to 2002 of having 13 NFL draft picks that Sports Illustrated declared Carolina as "D-Line U."

Now with three recruiting classes coalescing in Chapel Hill upon Coach Mack Brown's return, the Tar Heels emerge from spring practice with a cupboard well-stocked of guys with the bulk to stop the run, twitchiness to harass the quarterback, size to bat balls from the air and speed to chase receivers out of the backfield—and do so for four quarters on a hot afternoon in September.

"We are getting guys who look just like those guys in the hallway," defensive line coach Tim Cross says. "We are starting to look the part. Now the goal is to get them playing like those guys on those walls. We are adding bodies and adding the type of athletes and the kind of length we want. All of these new guys the last couple of years bring different things to the table and definitely add value for us."

"One of the biggest improvements we needed to make this spring was our strength and depth of our defensive line," Brown adds. "We wore down last year against Notre Dame and Texas A&M, and they physically beat us down. We are so much better there now."

Consider three years of recruiting at the interior and edge positions:

2019: Tomari Fox, Kevin Hester Jr., Kristian Varner and Ray Vohasek.

2020: Des Evans, Kedrick Bingley-Jones, Myles Murphy, Clyde Pinder Jr. and Kaimon Rucker.

And 2021: Jahvaree Ritzie and Keeshawn Silver.

"We have a lot more depth, and the biggest thing I'm seeing is pure energy and enthusiasm," says center Brian Anderson, who faces the D-line every day. "Guys are rushing to the ball downfield every play. There's a lot of energy to give that extra step and effort to get the job done. That's something I've not seen in a long time. It's nice to have that."

Case in point is the arrival of two signees from the December 2020 signing class, Ritzee and Silver. Both are in the 6-foot-4 range, Ritzee weighing 285 and Silver just topping over 300, Ritzee wearing jersey No. 5 and Silver No. 6. The Tar Heels landed Ritzee out of Glenn High in Kernersville and Silver out of Rocky Mount High after furious recruiting battles with every notable from the ACC and beyond. Silver was slowed in the latter stages of spring ball with an ankle injury, but Brown was impressed by how he soldiered through the discomfort and suited up every day. Ritzee raised eyebrows across the spectrum for his athleticism and enthusiasm.

"It's great to have them in school early," Cross says. "Ritzee is a smart kid and will add some pass rush to us. He is bigger than what people think he is. Silver is a giant. He rolled his ankle, and that set him back a little. He's like a puppy with big paws. He'll slip and slide on the kitchen floor a little bit, but he'll also knock some stuff over and move some furniture. Those guys are learning. We're pouring as much into them as we can. Neither played a senior year of football and they've been off the field a long time. But I like what I see. With a summer of learning and lifting, they'll help us come fall."

The defensive front has five veterans in the interior— Jahlil Taylor, Vohasek, Fox, Hester and Varner, with Brown citing Hester as "probably the most improved in that group." Murphy has traded considerable fat for muscle and Brown noted after one scrimmage, "I've not a seen guy dominate a practice like that; I kept seeing 88 and 88 and 88 all over the place." He and Pinder, a fellow freshman from 2020, are full-go after being limited with hand injuries and wearing casts much of their first year and having to navigate a first year of college amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Bingley-Jones will play for the first time after sitting out 2020 with an injury. Evans has bulked up to 265 pounds after arriving a year ago at 245. And Rucker is developing his multi-dimensional skill set—he's big enough to play with his hand on the ground but nimble enough to drop back in pass coverage.

And that doesn't include three veterans at the outside linebacker spot. Tomon Fox and Tyrone Hopper are taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility allowed by the NCAA, and Chris Collins during his sophomore year started four games and had four sacks.

"We've got to do a better job stopping the run on first down, and we feel like the big bodies can do that," Brown says. "And we've got to come out of spring with six to eight pass rushers. We have the big bodies for the run, but this game has changed, and on second- and third-and-long, you've got to have all your pass rushers in the game to play screens and draws and rush the passer. I think you'll see us using more different packages now than ever because we have more players."

Adds defensive coordinator Jay Bateman: "We have more players now than when we got here, especially the front seven. The front seven pieces are more physically aligned with what you need to compete."

The evolution of the defensive front provides a microcosm of what Brown and his staff have done since taking over in late 2018. The offense has been stout both years, with QB Sam Howell the missing piece to distribute the ball to the talented hands of a bevy of receivers and tailbacks. Every player who started along the offensive line in 2020 returns (that's 65 starts total), and 52 starts from 2019 are back as well. That gives the blocking front a level of maturity and experience unprecedented in program history.

Ask Brown about special teams over two years and he'll shrug and say, "Meh," but those units are likely primed to change games this season. Place-kicker Grayson Atkins, punter Ben Kiernan and kick-off specialist Jonathan Kim are back, and the protection and coverage units are deeper and more seasoned after three classes of recruiting linebackers, defensive backs and receivers, the key players on those units.

"We're better this year at every position except tailback and receiver," Brown says. "And those two positions are much like when we got here two years ago. We had some talented guys, but no one had stepped up and emerged. I look at those groups and see a lot of potential."

Certainly the 2021 Tar Heel team will be its most complete in many years, thanks in large part to shoring up that once-proud tradition along the defensive front.

Chapel Hill based writer Lee Pace (Carolina '79) has written "Extra Points" since 1990, is the author of "Football in a Forest" and has been part of the Tar Heel Sports Network broadcast crew since 2004. Write him at leepace7@gmail.com.

Players Mentioned

Brian Anderson

Grayson Atkins

Kedrick Bingley-Jones

Chris Collins

Tomari Fox

Tomon Fox

Kevin Hester Jr.

Tyrone Hopper

Sam Howell

Ben Kiernan

Jonathan Kim

Myles Murphy

Clyde Pinder Jr.

Jahvaree Ritzie

Kaimon Rucker

Keeshawn Silver

Jahlil Taylor

Kristian Varner

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