Football purists will tell you special teams are “a third of the game,” though in reality that fraction is far smaller. But that’s not to say a special teams success – or catastrophe – can’t determine a result.
The Tar Heels of head coach Mack Brown’s second stint in Chapel Hill experienced their fair share of the latter. Among the lowlights: a muffed onside kick at NC State in 2021 which gave the Wolfpack the opening they needed to finish off a miraculous comeback victory. That game also saw NC State block a punt and recover it for a touchdown.
Last season’s disastrous loss against James Madison in Kenan Stadium featured both of those exact plays: the Dukes executed a perfect onside kick and blocked a UNC punt for a touchdown. Another blocked punt against Syracuse the year before – though it came in a Tar Heel win – resulted in an injury to longtime punter Ben Kiernan, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.
There’s no way around it: UNC’s special teams have been far from it in recent years.
North Carolina State cornerback Aydan White (3) blocks a punt by North Carolina punter Ben Kiernan (91) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina State recovered the ball for a touchdown. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Who better to change the tide than the supposed guru of special teams himself? New head coach Bill Belichick – a long snapper in his brief playing days – was renowned across the NFL for his devotion to special teams, mentoring players like Matthew Slater and Nate Ebner into all-pro talents with the New England Patriots. Since coming to Chapel Hill, Belichick has brought in a new special teams coordinator, Mike Priefer. Like his boss, Priefer has extensive NFL experience, having worked for six different franchises across a span of two decades. The UNC job is his first in college since a stint at Northern Illinois in 2000 and 2001.
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why Belichick was drawn to his new hire. Priefer remembered his interview in January lasting two hours, and a job offer wasn’t far behind.
“Our head coach understands the importance of special teams,” Priefer said. “I’ve worked for head coaches that did not. This gentleman does.”
At the same time, Priefer recognized the unappetizing aspects of being a special teamer. When your teammates are catching touchdowns or sacking the quarterback, covering a kickoff or serving as a punt protector can seem dull by comparison. But it’s that aspect of special teams, Priefer said, which can serve as a litmus test of who deserves to see time on the field. Only those who express enthusiasm for the seemingly mundane will touch the field as a Tar Heel special teamer this season.
New UNC special teams coordinator Mike Priefer brings a wealth of NFL experience to Chapel Hill. (Image via UNC Athletic Communications)
“You have to love the game of football,” said Priefer. “Because covering a kickoff is not easy. Returning a kickoff is not easy… you have to love the game of football to do things the right way, to play at a high level all the time. And that’s what we’re looking for. Those are the types of young men we’re looking for. And I think we have a lot of those guys on this team.”
“Mike’s done a good job,” Belichick told reporters Wednesday morning. “It’s a very competitive situation. Much more so than we had earlier in the year. I’m excited to see how all these guys play out.”
UNC’s much-publicized roster turnover – two-thirds of the team is new this fall – hasn’t left special teams unscathed. The Tar Heels will trot out a new kicker – either freshman Guytano Bartolomeo or Marshall transfer Rece Verhoff – following the departure of veteran Noah Burnette in the offseason. Tom Maginness returns at punter, though he will duke it out with Eastern Illinois transfer and fellow Aussie Jacob Horvath for UNC’s starting job. And while a punting competition may not inspire excitement across Chapel Hill, it should be of interest: UNC ranked 16th out of 17 teams in the ACC last season both in average yards per punt and net yards per punt (the average punt yardage minus the average return yardage).
With numerous position battles and a wide variety of teams to compile, Priefer’s job is arguably one of the most logistically challenging of any coach on Belichick’s staff. He is required to wrangle and drill at least 66 people every practice: 11 players for six special teams units (field goal, field goal defense, kickoff, kickoff return, punting and punt return).
“There’s a lot of coordination there, which I love,” Priefer said. “I love the challenge of it. The bottom line is we have to make sure we put the right players in the right spots, teach them the right techniques, get the right schemes and help them be successful and help our football team to become successful.”
Will a key special teams play decide UNC’s opening game against TCU the night of September 1? In all likelihood, no. But fundamentally sound special teams play is a foundational piece of any solid football operation, and no team is able to withstand repeated mistakes in that area.
The Tar Heels under Belichick like to say they get “one percent better” every day. And for a special teams unit which has been decidedly un-special in years past, any step in the right direction, however small, can be counted as a good start.
Featured image via Associated Press/Wilfredo Lee
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