SAKERLINA GAME WEEK: #UNC Front Seven Preview

Now that we've covered the Offensive Line, it's time to focus on Carolina other most important position groups of 2015: The Front Seven. Easily one of the biggest factors in last year's deplorable defensive was the inability to control the line of scrimmage. Gene Chizik, John Papuchis, and Tray Scott have had their work cut out for them since setting foot on campus earlier this year. They've had to mold an out of touch and out of place position group, by teaching them basic technique, encouraging aggressiveness and simplifying assignments. Gap Control is the name of the game this season in Chapel Hill and let's look at the two men most responsible for setting the tone for this group.

Coaches

Gene Chizik - Defensive Coordinator
Chizik, in his first season in Chapel Hill, comes to Carolina as one of the most decorated defensive coordinators in the country. Winning National Championships both as a Head Coach (thanks to Cam Newton) and as Defensive Coordinator for Texas (and an undefeated season at Auburn). He and his defensive staff have ta mountain to climb this year and they try to re-vamp one of the statistically worst defenses in the country a year ago. His base 4-3, with over and under fronts, focuses on gap control and aggressiveness. His system simplifies the zone front had implemented in town the last few years. Expect to see a similar defensive strategy that we saw under the Davis/Withers administration:

• Lots of Man to Man coverage with two high safeties
• a Defensive Line that causes havoc, desires line of scrimmage control and prevents second level blocking
• play-making linebackers
• No more hybrid positions rather than read and decide
• read and react
• fewer zone blitzes
• better technique and hopefully surer tackling

Tray Scott -  Defensive Line Coach

Scott, in his first season at Chapel Hill, is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks. He gained notoriety at Ole Miss and at Arkansas State as part of Hugh Freeze's staff. His lines put up very aggressive numbers, often leading the conference in sacks and tackles for loss. His work on the recruiting trail is one to right home about as he was part of the team that produced Ole Miss' best recruiting class in school history (2013). Tray Scott is never shy to move guys around to develop versatility and increase competition which has resulted in surprising two deep on the D Line heading in 2015.

John Papuchis - Linebackers Coach
Papuchis has spent many of his years around big time college football. Hailing from tenures at both LSU and Nebraska, he's spent many years with one of the sharpest defensive minds in the game. He served as the defensive line coach, special teams coordinator, recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator at various points under Les Miles at LSU and Bo Pelini at Nebraska. Papuchis hopes to return linebacker play to what Carolina fans became accustomed to at the end of the previous decade.

Nose Tackle
Powell and Clarke's battle for Nose Tackle has been relentless this off-season as both players have pushed each other to get better. Clarke took advantage of injury attrition this past spring and never looked back on the depth chart. Carolina's defensive line got abused on the interior this past year. It's imperative that the Nose Tackle and Three Technique units have vastly improved over a somewhat dreadful 2014.

1. Jeremiah Clarke (#49) 6-5 315 Redshirt Freshman - The highly touted Redshirt Freshman from Alexandria Virginia has burst on the scene in his first year on the active roster. Clarke has the most upside of any of the interior defensive linemen. "Fat Melo" should be a force on the ACC interior for the next few years. Clarke moves very, very well for a man of his size.
2. Tyler Powell (#95) 6-4 290 lbs Sophomore - Despite getting thrown into the wolves, Powell put together a decent season as a true freshman in 2014. Possesses a tremendous motor and should continue to improve as he gains experience. Powell will be relied on heavily for quality depth.  
3. Aaron Crawford (#92) 6-1 310 lbs True Freshman Since arriving on campus in June, Crawford has made a name for himself. Not only is is he helping the interior of the defense with depth, but also Crawford has been competing for playing time as the nose guard in passing situations. A noted workout warrior, expect Crawford to see playing time this fall.

Defensive Tackle (Three Technique)
The other interior position on the interior defensive line looks to take a big step forward in 2015 from where it was in 2014. With two players returning with loads of game experience, look for improved production on the outside shades of the guards.

1. Nazair Jones (#90) 6-5 295 Redshirt Sophomore - Arguably Carolina's best pass rusher on the interior, Nazair Jones is the player I'm always watching the most. Jones must improve his every down play in his second year, as he often looked a bit lost following long developing plays this past year. Jones is a naturally gifted athlete who has every tool needed to be a stand out player in the conference. He's just too talented to not have a break out year. 
2. Justin Thomason (#98) 6-4 295 lbs Senior - Thomason feels like he's been in Chapel Hill forever. Started every game this past season at tackle and will provide excellent depth and versatlity as he's played both interior DL positions.
3. Robert Dinkins (#93) 6-1 270 lbs Redshirt Freshman - The undersized 3 technique from Charlotte's Olympic high school makes up for his size with a great first step. He'll be relied upon for depth in 2015 and expect to see him in the occasional pass rushing situation.

Defensive End
Gene Chizik's shift back to a more traditional 4-3 allowed the defensive line to re-establish itself with two traditional defensive end. This  change from the rush end and hybrid "Bandit" position should pay dividends as Carolina never had the personnel for the previous system. Like Defensive Tackle, competition for D End has been exciting since winter workouts. It seemed like a different player took  first team reps every other practice. As Fall Camp carried on, some new leaders emerged, players bounced back and forth to both defensive end positions, and the D End postion grew deeper and more versatile.

Strongside 

1. Junior Gnonkonde (#44) 6-4 260 lbs Redshirt Junior - Junior Gnonkonde continues to dazzle in Chapel Hill. Gnonkonde is experienced at both defensive end positions and is Carolina's best pass rushing option on the roster. Despite his size, Junior can flat out run. His football career is still very young as he's still only in his 5th year of playing competitive ball. Gnonkonde is poised for a breakout year.
2. Jessie Rogers (#43) 6-4 270 lbs Senior - Jessie Rodgers was easily one of the most productive players on the defensive line leading the team in tackles for loss since having roughly 50 percent of the snaps to the other returning defensive linemen. Has the versatility to play the defensive tackle position as well.
3. Jalen Dalton (#97) 6-6 280 lbs Freshman -Dalton will likely Redshirt this year after coming to Carolina as one of the most desired defensive line prospects in the country this past year. Dalton, who's grown almost 40 lbs since leaving high school last winter, is still learning how play with his added size. Despite many folks thinking he would be an impact player when he arrived on campus, it didn't surprise me to see the coaching staff consider a Redshirt year for the new guy. The redshirt year did work wonders for Jeremiah Clarke who transitioned from playing mostly defensive end in high school to playing the most interior position on the defense.

Weakside

1. Mikey Bart (#45) 6-3 270 lbs Junior - Bart is a tough, tenacious high motored defensive end who unfortunately played out of position his first two years at Chapel Hill at Bandit. Tray Scott has praised this kid's motor each and every practice. He's the kind of kid who leaves it all on the field. I was very surprised to see him get nod over Drennon who was the returning starter. Let's hope Bart has a break out year.
2. Dajuan Drennon (#17) 6-4 255 lbs Redshirt Sophomore - It's not very often a returning starter gets beat, especially one who performed a solidly as Drennon did his Freshman year. Tray Scott has spoken volumes that there were no guaranteed spots on the defensive line. With Drennon currently listed at number two, it does give Carolina a sense of solid depth at Weakside defensive end.
3. Malik Carney (#53) 6-3 230 lbs Redshirt Freshman - Carney spent this past year as a Redshirt and will be getting his first bit of college action in 2015. He's still a bit undersized for where Chizik wants to see his defensive ends but expect him to get some snaps on mop up duty.

Sam Linebacker
Will Linebacker was arguably Carolina's most watched position battle on defensive as Spring Ball and Fall Camp rolled on. After Cayson Collins fantastic second half of the 2014 season it was expected that he was a lock for the Sam Linebacker position. As today stands, that's not the case...

1. Joe Jackson (#32) 6-2 225 lbs Redshirt Junior - The main reason that we don't see Collins' name at first on the depth chart, is because Joe Jackson has been a MAN in camp. He was officially named the starter about a dozen days ago. His development has been slated as one who took advantage of the clean slate mentality this defensive coaching staff has shown. He's been a fierce competitor from everywhere from the weight room, the film room to the practice field. 
2. Cayson Collins (#23) 6-1 235 lbs Sophomore - It's not all doom and gloom that Collins is slotted as back up at Will Linebacker. In fact it's a tremendous advantage that Carolina has the depth they absolutely need at WLB. With backside gap responsibility having a duo that can rotate in and out can lend a big role in backside 
3. Ayden Bonilla (#24) 6-2 220 lbs Redshirt Freshman - Bonilla spent his Redshirt season learning the ropes at strong safety and the hybrid "Ram" position. The new coaching staff believes his time will better served as weak side linebacker. expect to see most of snaps to come on special teams.

Mike (Middle) Linebacker

Of Note: Nate Staub retired from competitive football this past spring because of lingering injury problems. I was very high on Staub the past couple of years and was excited to see what he would be able to do in a more traditional Linebacker role in this system. His loss hurts but I can't blame a guy for hanging up the cleats when it's time. There's no smarter decision to make when you're told that your long term health could be affected and decide to hang up the cleats (I had to make the same decision).

1. Jeff Schoettmer (#10) 6-2 235 lbs 5th Year Senior - The heart and soul of the carolina defense for the second consecutive year. It's rare to find a player who's made as much improvement over the course of two years as Jeff Schoettmer has. He looked lost in 2012, began to find himself in 2013, became a team leader in 2014, and is poised for a monster senior year. Has played all over the field from safety to will backer to mike backer. He's the kinda guy you want to share a foxhole with.
2. Andre Smith (#56) 6-0 235 lbs True Freshman - Smith has done nothing but impress since arriving on campus. The coaches are very high on his upside. Expect to have a solid True Freshman campaign.
3. Dan Mastromatteo 6-2 235 lbs Redshirt Junior - Dan M has struggled to break the two deep since getting to Carolina. Hopefully with him playing a more traditional linebacker role he'll be able to get some PT on defense. He's been excellent of special teams and the hope is it translates to every down.

Will  Linebacker
**** 9/1/2015 In an artcile released by Inside Carolina was confirmed the Shakeel Rashad is in fact starting at Will Linebacker instead of the Sam Linebacker that was previously mentioned. This system uses a bit larger Will Backer and the Will lines up in the open B Gap while the Sam is generally covered up in the over and under fronts.

1. Shakeel Rashad (#42) 6-2 235 5th Year Senior - After playing out of position for the past couple of years, Rashad has slimmed down to play his more natural fit of Strongside Linebacker. Rashad is an elite athlete with a world of potential. Here's to the hope that this kid, who's had his time in Chapel Hill hindered due to injuries, makes the most of his last hurrah in Chapel Hill.
2. Cole Holcomb (#34) 6-1 215 lbs Sophomore - One of the biggest talking points of the off-season has been the progress walk on Cole Holcomb has made over the last calendar year. His presence has been a big surprise. A very instinctual player who plays bigger than his body are always words you love reading about a linebacker.
3. Jonathan Sutton (#54) 6-0 230 True Freshman - There's still a chance that Sutton ends up redshirting but no one should be surprised if he ends up taking snaps in 2015, especially on special teams. Sutton is the Strongside Linebacker of the future for Carolina and the coaching staff is very high on his potential in this system.

If Carolina wants to get its defense separated from the last couple of years respective disasters, this team must start with changing the culture in the front seven. Carolina must play more aggressive, violent and take their game to the opposing offense rather than letting the offense come to them. Expect to see lots of rotation along the defensive line as the defensive coaching staff seeks to keep all bodies fresh during the game for the course of the season. The D Line must fight to prevent opposing blockers from getting to the second and third levels, which allows the linebackers to flow from sideline to side line and make plays. We are three days from kickoff y'all. It's incredible how close we are.

WFP