Gene Chizik was struck by the difference when he arrived in Chapel Hill as the <a href="https://www.on3.com/college/north-carolina-tar-heels/">North Carolina</a> defensive coordinator in January. Chizik was previously the Tar Heels DC during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, so there was plenty he was already familiar with. 



But UNC has undergone a head coaching change since then, going from Larry Fedora to Mack Brown. So there is also a lot that has changed since his previous stint with the school. Chizik believes most of it is positive change, praising the defensive line for its depth that wasn’t there five years ago. 



“The first thing when I walk through the door that looks different to me is the depth of the defensive line,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztc9gGKUqMo">Chizik said in a press conference this summer</a>. “It’s not only big-framed guys that are very athletic, (but) it’s the depth and the numbers of those guys. I think Mack has done a fantastic job and (defensive line coach) Tim Cross has done a fantastic job of building a nucleus of a defensive line that has a chance to be really, really good. The depth is there. The talent is there. Now the next step is making sure we perform at a level that is consistent with their body types and body frames and athletic ability. 



“We’re not there yet, but I think Tim Cross has done a great job of working in that direction with these guys. We have told them repeatedly that if we don’t have a defensive line, we don’t have a defense. We are gonna rely on them to be a huge part of this. Stopping the run, rushing the passer, all those things that their bodies are equipped to do. Now we’ve got to be productive in getting that done.”



The Tar Heels return <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/myles-murphy-90734/">Myles Murphy</a> and <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/kaimon-rucker-70589/">Kaimon Rucker</a> on the defensive line after the pair combined for eight sacks in 2021. They also have former five-star prospect <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/keeshawn-silver-71916/">Keeshawn Silver</a>, who redshirted in 2021, and true freshman <a href="https://www.on3.com/db/travis-shaw-114716/">Travis Shaw</a>, the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina. As Gene Chizik said, that talent looks good on paper, but results have yet to come as North Carolina ranked 11th in the ACC in total defense this past season. 



It’s Chizik’s job to get that talent prepared to live up to its potential. That isn’t just on the defensive line, but also in a secondary the defensive coordinator also praised for its depth. There the Tar Heels will be led by safety Cam’Ron Kelly, who finished this past season with four interceptions and 68 tackles.



“I think the depth in the secondary and the experience in the secondary would probably be the next thing that jumps out to me,” Chizik said. “We have talented guys in the secondary, but we’ve got to play better. We’ve got to communicate better. We’ve got to deliver on the field and let the talent we have back there match up to the production.”



Chizik still has a little over a month to get the defense ready before the season opener on Aug. 27 against Florida A&M. By then, he hopes to have his players at a point where their talent can truly shine through.

North Carolina Tar Heels Football

North Carolina

Gene Chizik opens up on the differences from his first stint at North Carolina to now

Atlantic Coast Conference

Organization Logo

Teams

Fan Sites

Forums

Shows

team-link

College Football News

College Football Player Rankings

College Football Rankings

College Football Playoff

College Basketball News

Women's Sports

College

NIL News

NIL Valuation

NIL Deals

NIL Deal Tracker

Sports Business

Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal News

NCAA Transfer Portal

Transfer Portal Rankings

Transfer Portal Team Rankings

Transfer Portal

NCAA Transfer Portal Home

Football Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting

Database

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Commitments

Recruiting Prediction Machine

Recruiting

High School News

Schools

High School Search

Rankings

High School Rankings

Scores

High School Scores

High School

NFL Draft

NFL Draft News

Draft By Stars

College Draft History

College Draft Totals

NBA Draft

NBA Draft News

Draft

NASCAR

Culture

Sports Betting

About

On3 App

Advertise

Press

Contact

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

News

Roster

Schedule

North Carolina Draft History

[site-name] Draft History

Transfers

FB Recruiting

BB Recruiting

Fan Site

team image

Inside Carolina

The Tar Pit Premium

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Gene Chizik opens up on the differences from his first stint at North Carolina to now

Jaden Rashada

Damon Wilson

Sherrone Moore

Looking ahead

Transfer Portal Intel