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

Gene Chizik was struck by the difference when he arrived in Chapel Hill as the North Carolina 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,” Chizik said in a press conference this summer. “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 Myles Murphy and Kaimon Rucker on the defensive line after the pair combined for eight sacks in 2021. They also have former five-star prospect Keeshawn Silver, who redshirted in 2021, and true freshman Travis Shaw, 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.