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#UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick press conference after one week of spring practice
Apr 7, 2026
#UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick press conference after one week of spring practice
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0:00
to kind of change things this offseason
0:02
with having some familiar faces as you
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go through the terminology and uh
0:07
teaching points with some returners out
0:08
there.
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>> Uh yeah, it's definitely good. Um not or
0:12
being here and having, you know, a
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little bit of foundation with with those
0:15
guys is definitely makes it easier, but
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um all those guys are working hard to
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pick it up. Um guys who were here last
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year, you know, trying to take that next
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step and then the guys who have come in,
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freshman and transfers, they're they're
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doing the same thing. So, um, happy the
0:28
way the guys are working and, uh, ready
0:30
to get out there on the field today.
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>> On the right, mic.
0:32
>> Steve, we're going to talk to Mel Cart
0:34
later today. He was obviously stand out
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for you guys last season. What have you
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seen from him so far [clears throat] in
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the spring where he's built on that
0:41
strong season last year?
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>> Yeah, I think, you know, being a older
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guy and a returning guy, like I was
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saying before, he's, you know, trying to
0:48
take that next step. Um, just continue
0:50
to be more comfortable on the defense
0:52
and, you know, help the guys that, um,
0:54
are in his room and and everybody on the
0:55
defense. He's doing a good job being a
0:57
leader um in that way and and working on
0:59
his game uh individually. So I'm really
1:01
happy with him and I'm ready to keep
1:03
working right there.
1:05
>> When did you guys identify Payton Seal
1:07
as someone that could come in here? How
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do you think that the FCS sort of play
1:11
can transition into now power conference
1:13
play?
1:14
>> I can't remember the exact time because
1:16
those things happen pretty fast during
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that, you know, portal window. Um but um
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you just kind of got to be ready at all
1:22
times for when they you know when the
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news breaks that they're that they're in
1:26
and um try and you know get them here
1:29
and so there's a lot of a lot of stuff
1:30
that goes on behind the scenes with you
1:32
know other people and you know special
1:34
teams how it fits into that uh
1:36
defensively and so um it just it all
1:39
happens quick. I don't know
1:41
>> how do you see FCS sort of play
1:43
transitioning in power conference play
1:45
for him? I mean, if you're a good
1:46
football player, you're a good football
1:48
player. So, um I think it's, you know,
1:51
different for for every player. Some
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guys um you know, are just ready to to
1:56
take the next step and um you know,
1:59
their physical development and where
2:00
they came from in high school and how
2:01
they were recruited. Everybody's got
2:03
their own story. So, we're happy to have
2:05
them and um keep working with them.
2:07
>> Back row on the right.
2:09
>> Hey, coach. Um just wanted to know about
2:12
training here offense. what ways is kind
2:15
of helping you and your defense kind of
2:17
shape up? I know you guys have gone
2:18
against a bunch, but is there ways that
2:21
he's kind of helping you grow as a as a
2:24
coordinator?
2:26
>> Yeah, just going against a new play
2:27
caller. Um, yeah, it's been good. Um,
2:30
you know, last year was last year and
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this year is this year. So, um, just
2:33
trying to adapt and adjust and, um, it's
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always good against go against a new
2:38
scheme and stuff like that. So, I think
2:39
figuring each other out, um, through the
2:41
practices, but um, it's been fun. It was
2:43
it was fun last year and we're having a
2:44
good time this year.
2:46
>> Back middle TV.
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>> Coach, what was your philosophy?
2:52
>> Um, you know, being tough, being
2:54
physical, um, being good tacklers, and,
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um, good fundamentals. Um, you know, a
2:59
lot of things go into it. Um, it all
3:01
starts with with the fundamentals and
3:03
making sure everybody's on the same page
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with the communication. And, um, you
3:07
know, every everything's a little bit
3:08
different, but every year is a new year
3:10
with the players and the coaches. So,
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we're just trying to build the the 2026
3:13
UNCC defense and and we'll see what that
3:15
looks like. We got a long way to go, but
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um happy with those guys and and how
3:19
they worked.
3:20
>> Second row middle.
3:22
>> Coach, um how much do you think the
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staff obviously you've been in college
3:26
football before, but has learned from a
3:28
year of being in college football as
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what it takes, how you build it, all
3:31
that stuff. Do you think there's you
3:33
guys are a little further ahead than
3:35
maybe you were at this time last year?
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>> I mean, I for me personally, I am. You
3:39
know, I'm trying to learn and grow every
3:40
single year. um myself. So, um I I I
3:44
would say that all those guys have
3:45
probably learned and and you know,
3:47
gotten better as well, but you'd have to
3:49
ask them. But, um every year is a new
3:51
year. You kind of start from scratch.
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So, just trying to to take the
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experiences that that we've had and and
3:57
be better than than what we were.
3:59
>> Front left here. Shelby,
4:00
>> just following up on that, curious, just
4:02
what you learned just yourself as a
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coach from the past season.
4:06
>> What's that?
4:07
>> Just what you learned yourself as a
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coach from the past season. I mean, you
4:10
know, uh, starts with, you know, the,
4:13
uh, personalities and the relationships
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that you have with guys, um, off the
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field and, you know, building those with
4:18
with new people. Um, you know, going all
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the way out to the West Coast and then
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coming back to the East Coast and being
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down here. I mean, it's a great place.
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I've never lived in North Carolina. I'm
4:27
never the first time I was at North
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Carolina was when I took the job. So, I
4:31
had a lot to learn myself and the people
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that that I've been around. I really
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appreciate those people. and then um you
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know becoming comfortable with yourself
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and in the situation that you're in and
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and growing from there. You know, you
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got to you get comfortable with the
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people you're around. So um I've enjoyed
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that. Um that's one of the best parts
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about football is is the relationships
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you build and the people you're around.
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>> I guess just a quick follow up on that.
4:52
Um, just given the extreme on this
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roster, we talked earlier about building
4:56
the 2026 defense. Anything that you're
4:59
tweaking from an approach standpoint or
5:01
maybe doubling down on again just given
5:03
the group that's on this roster?
5:05
>> Yeah, I mean, I think you have to start
5:07
from scratch every year. Um, no matter
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if you have everybody coming back or
5:11
everybody left, um, you got to start
5:13
start at the bottom and then and work
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your way up. And um I wouldn't say it's
5:18
like a drastically different approach,
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but through past experiences and you
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know dealing with this group of guys
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again the you know where where you have
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uh young players at certain position
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rooms do you need to do things to cater
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to one group or cater to another group
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depending on you know where the the
5:35
experience is on the defense or can you
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you know go all in? All that stuff is
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taken to account but at the end of the
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day you got to you got to keep pushing
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forward and and growing as a defense. So
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that's what we're trying to do.
5:45
Go ahead, Brian. Um,
5:46
>> I know your dad has interacted with
5:48
other coaches on campus. I wonder if
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you've touched base with other coaches
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on campus and what maybe you've learned
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from from interacting with some of the
5:55
other coaches around the campus.
5:57
>> Uh, a little bit here and there, but no,
5:59
I mean, I just enjoy, you know, being at
6:01
North Carolina and the the pride that
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um, everybody here takes in the school
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and, you know, going to different sports
6:06
games. It really feels like, you know,
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everybody's bought into to the success
6:10
of the school, not just, you know, what
6:11
you're doing here. So, um, I've really
6:13
enjoyed it. Me and my family have gone
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to a bunch of different games, um, bunch
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of different sports. So, um, wish those
6:18
guys the best and, um, I'm happy to
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support them.
6:21
>> Is there a sport you've become a big fan
6:23
of?
6:24
>> I mean, you know, like in the spring
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watching lacrosse and and baseball and
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basketball, I mean, don't have much time
6:30
in the fall other than, you know, what
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we're doing here, but, uh, men's and
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women's basketball and, um, baseball,
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like I said, lacrosse. I mean, it's it's
6:38
been fun going to going to those games.
6:40
>> Go ahead, Michael. Steve, you guys lost
6:42
your top three tackles from last year in
6:44
Kamorei, Simpson, and Will. And those
6:46
are three guys who are leaders as well.
6:48
You mentioned Sealman and Melkart. Who
6:50
else has sort of stepped up on the
6:51
defense into those leadership roles?
6:53
>> Um, I think everybody's trying to feel
6:55
it out a little bit. I mean, you know,
6:56
only had like six practices, so there's
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still, you know, still a lot of time.
7:00
Um, but, um, you know, all those guys
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are kind of, um, stepping up and guys
7:05
who have been here and guys who have,
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you know, come from other places and
7:08
transferred in. Um it's kind of, you
7:10
know, it's fun watching those guys um
7:12
earn the respect of their teammates and
7:14
and I think everybody's doing that.
7:16
>> Back far right TV.
7:18
>> Yeah. Um you mentioned, you know, early
7:20
days of practice, part of the spray.
7:24
What are some things you you've been
7:25
wanting to see from?
7:29
>> I mean, just keep getting better every
7:30
day. Um, you know, I wouldn't say that
7:32
there's, you know, big long-term goals
7:34
that that I set in the spring other than
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just improving every day and trying to
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pick pick one or two things out, not
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just go out there and like, you know, I
7:40
want to be a better football player
7:42
today, but, you know, picking a couple
7:43
things out and trying to identify those
7:44
and and attack those challenges and and
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see if we accomplished them at the end
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of the day and evaluate the process and
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what we did to, you know, lead up to
7:51
practice and and how it turned out as a
7:53
result and, you know, trying to evaluate
7:55
what we did going into practice, not
7:57
just what happened there and and improve
7:59
in all areas, you know, days that we
8:00
practice. those days where we are just
8:02
in meetings and watching film. So, um I
8:04
enjoy this time. It's it's a good time
8:06
to, you know, spend time with the guys
8:07
and build some team camaraderie going
8:09
against the offense. So, um looking
8:11
forward to today.
8:14
>> Anybody else?
8:15
>> Thank you.
8:16
>> Appreciate it. Don't know.