Up next in 10
#UNC special teams coach Billy Miller press conference after one week of spring practice
Apr 7, 2026
#UNC special teams coach Billy Miller press conference after one week of spring practice
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
guys we brought in this year in our
0:01
recruiting class in the portal. So
0:03
excited for spring ball uh practice
0:05
number seven today. So ready to get on
0:08
the grass and have a great day.
0:10
>> Brian, go ahead. Uh I don't know if you
0:12
can speak to this, but last year you
0:13
were the assistant special teams coach
0:15
and now the the head special teams
0:17
coach.
0:17
>> Yeah, for me titles uh it is what it is.
0:19
I come to work every day to do my best.
0:21
Um you know, get ready the guys for
0:24
practice or whatever it may be on and
0:26
off the field in the meeting rooms, make
0:27
sure we're teaching stuff. um ready to
0:29
install so we can go out and have a
0:31
great practice.
0:32
>> You're um sorry you're last year you
0:35
obviously had a pretty good punter and
0:36
kicker. Um I think you're replacing both
0:38
of those guys. What have you seen
0:40
particularly a kicking department such
0:42
an important part of the game especially
0:43
you guys play a lot of close games?
0:45
>> Yeah, we brought in a bunch of guys are
0:47
in the room right now. Bunch of
0:48
specialists. Uh they're all working hard
0:50
uh competing every day um to get ready
0:52
to play in the fall. You know, their
0:54
biggest job is to go out there today,
0:56
have a great practice, and then we'll
0:57
take it from there.
0:59
>> Far left here.
1:00
>> Can I ask my question?
1:02
>> Oh, jump. Go ahead, Rob.
1:05
>> Billy, what were kind of your biggest
1:07
learning lessons from last year and then
1:09
going into to year two with this
1:10
program?
1:11
>> Yeah. The biggest thing for me is I came
1:12
from the high school level, right? So,
1:13
the last time I was in college football
1:15
was in 2011. So, the landscape changed a
1:17
lot since since then. So just you know
1:19
getting familiar with that and obviously
1:21
had the new landscape of college
1:22
football and adjusting and um getting
1:24
ready for this year.
1:25
>> Yeah. How have you kind of adjusted that
1:26
approach going into year two and how are
1:29
how's the comfort level so to speak?
1:31
>> Yeah, it's good. I you know just
1:32
learning from last year all the
1:33
experiences obviously watching a lot of
1:35
game tape uh studying different
1:36
opponents um what other people are doing
1:39
you know in college football now with
1:41
their schemes and fundamentals and stuff
1:43
like that. So, just really taking those,
1:45
you know, lessons away and getting ready
1:47
for this year.
1:48
>> Front row, far right. Mike,
1:50
>> uh, Bill is sort of building off Rod's
1:51
question. What did you learn from coach
1:54
Creeper, um, from him being here last
1:56
year? Have you kept some of the things
1:58
that he installed last year as sort of
2:00
continuity coming into spring?
2:01
>> Yeah, Mike had a lot of experience
2:03
obviously coaching special teams in the
2:04
league. Um, so we bounce ideas off each
2:06
other all the time. So, um, learned some
2:09
stuff and definitely will take some of
2:10
the stuff that I did learn, uh, I'm
2:12
going for it.
2:13
back row middle
2:15
people understand how good special teams
2:18
are.
2:19
>> Yeah, I mean we play for coach Bichc. We
2:20
work for coach Bichc. So obviously, you
2:22
know, there's a big emphasis in it.
2:24
Obviously, you know, he coached one of
2:26
the greatest special teams players of
2:27
all time and Slater, right? So, we
2:29
talked to guys about that, adding value
2:31
to themselves no matter what position
2:32
they play, whether they're a receiver, a
2:34
DB, you know, whatever it may be. Uh
2:36
having a role in a kicking game will
2:37
help you uh add value to yourself. Do
2:40
you have a lot of stars constantly on
2:41
the special teams to kind of
2:45
have that reserve possible?
2:47
>> No, we use, you know, we have 105 guys
2:49
on the roster, right? We're going to use
2:51
uh the best players in each position to
2:53
to help the team win and be successful.
2:55
So, you know, whoever that is, um, you
2:58
know, we'll go through the year in
2:59
spring ball and and see who we'll be in
3:01
and different teams and first team,
3:02
second group, doesn't matter. So, it's
3:04
kind of really figuring out who those
3:06
guys will be, having guys compete day in
3:08
and day out, and then we'll plug and
3:10
play.
3:11
>> From row on the right, though,
3:12
>> going off that a little bit, how much
3:13
were you involved in some of the
3:15
transfer potential acquisitions at the
3:17
time and and watching film, seeing how
3:19
they could potentially impact special
3:20
teams as well?
3:21
>> Yeah, so a lot of it is watching, you
3:22
know, what they do offense and
3:24
defensively as well, right? And and and
3:26
in the kicking game. So, you know, being
3:28
able to identify strength and
3:30
weaknesses, how they could correlate to
3:32
the kicking game, you know, so there is
3:33
an emphasis on that when we're
3:35
evaluating players.
3:39
>> Yeah, I guess just kind of following up
3:40
on something um you mentioned earlier
3:42
and um as do you question just um what
3:46
do you learn you feel like you and the
3:48
coaching staff from last season that you
3:51
apply to this season?
3:52
>> Yeah, just really, you know, taking
3:53
advantage of all the you know, the rules
3:56
are different. um from what I learned in
3:59
2011 I was in college but you know
4:01
coming off of last year um getting used
4:03
to college football landscape again and
4:05
then just building off what we did last
4:07
year to help us be more successful this
4:08
year.
4:10
>> Anybody else
4:12
mentioned just how young the team is on
4:16
special teams especially you probably
4:17
have to play a lot of young players.
4:19
Does that change what you can do or or
4:21
how do you get those guys ready to play
4:23
in August when they were in high school
4:24
last year? Yeah, we're going to play the
4:26
best players that, you know, give us the
4:27
best chance to be successful, right?
4:28
Whether they're young or veteran guys,
4:30
you know, our job is to teach them what
4:32
we what we want them to do. Um, and then
4:34
have them go execute it out on the grass
4:36
and then we'll evaluate that. Uh, could
4:38
be a young guy, could be an older guy.
4:39
Again, whoever gives us the best chance
4:41
to be successful
4:42
>> back middle
4:45
special teams is a good place for them
4:46
to remain possibly a starting spot on
4:48
defense. Is that kind of how you
4:50
approach it with some players?
4:52
>> Not really. We kind of just tell them,
4:53
hey, you know, we we need 11 guys on on
4:55
punt or 11 guys on kickoff, whatever it
4:57
may be. Those those best guys that are
4:58
out there, you know, they each have
5:00
different, you know, positive traits
5:02
that will help us be successful, whether
5:04
it's speed, toughness, you know,
5:05
football awareness, situational
5:06
awareness, you know, whatever it may be.
5:09
Those those will be the guys that we put
5:11
out there. Doesn't matter if they're an
5:12
offense or defensive starter.
5:15
>> Thank you all. We'll have players here