Tar Heels Football Is Setting Up New Standards

© Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Mack Brown enters his fifth year with the University of North Carolina football team.

His Tar Heels have had successful seasons under Brown on the field and off it, too. Brown and Co. sat down at the Atlantic Coast Conference Kickoff to talk everything Tar Heels.

Tar Heels coach on NIL

Brown was his usual charming, jovial self. He spoke out on how he's seen the ACC play take place since he's been at North Carolina. Brown poked at media members for crowning champions too early. He praised his players for their growth and commitment over his past 5 seasons.

But Brown offered his thoughts on the NIL craze. It was honest, refreshing and highlighted a program using its platform positively.

Brown and North Carolina are challenging players to do more than collect an NIL check.

“NIL is a great thing in so many different ways because the players get paid," Brown said. "Our guys are using NIL for charity. They are using it to reach out and help their brand. They are using it to meet new boosters.

"One of our guys was talking about the storm-damaged the roof on the house and Mom was able to fix the roof because of NIL money," he said. "We've got a young guy with Stage 4 cancer that he's been able to help some of those costs. His mother is a police officer, help her. That we can’t pay. It's really helped him. Tez Walker, when he was dealing with his NCAA stuff, was able to get an attorney. We couldn't have done that three years ago.”

Kaimon the Great

Few college football offensive linemen would dare say that Kaimon Rucker is not a great defensive end. His size, speed and position knowledge are crucial to his impact on Saturdays. Rucker recorded 8.5 sacks last season. Rucker's greatness reaches beyond his play. He recently used his NIL earnings to gift backpacks full of hygienic products to young men from his elementary school.

Giving back and using your platform in a positive light seems to be the Tar Heel way. But Rucker and the Tar Heels also want to establish a Tar Heel defensive midset. Rucker was asked about North Carolina's defensive plans under new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins.

“The thing is with us, we never established a standard," Rucker said. "We have never established a bar that we need to jump over, that we need to go over and I feel like the bar he set on Day 1 is we want to be the best defense in college football. From that day forward, that has been the mantra of our defense the entire time. It doesn't matter if it's winter workouts, summer workouts, conditioning or heading into fall camp. That's something we need to hang our hat on.”

North Carolina in 2024

This season's Tar Heels are in prime position to improve on their previous successes and make a dent atop the ACC. Their offense will continue to improve. But where the Tar Heels will need to separate themselves from past teams is on defense. Establishing a defensive identity that is feared across the ACC is no easy task. Led by defenders like Rucker, though, there will be no limit to what these Tar Heels can do.