UNC Linebacker: "Our Goal is to Win an ACC Championship."

Atlantic Coast Conference Media Days are underway.

Players from around the ACC were in the spotlight for day one.

North Carolina finished up last football season with a 6-6 regular season record followed by a 19-point loss to Rutgers in the Quick Lane Bowl.

But middle linebacker Jeff Schoettmer says the Tar Heels are looking forward.

“Last year, a multitude of things went wrong,” he says. “We’ve moved past that. We have a new staff, so we’re not even worried about what happened last year. We can’t change it.”

Schoettmer was referring to the new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik, who was brought in to lead the Carolina defense. The linebacker says it didn’t take long for Chizik to make an impact.

“Over the course of the spring, communication that’s what really got better,” he says. “And then tackling, we missed way too many tackles last year.

“Poor tackling angles and tracking angles is one of the things that Chizik associated with that when he came in. He went back and watched every game last year and those are the two things he pointed out, poor tracking angles led to missed tackles.”

While the Tar Heels defense was historically bad last season. The offense, to use the word of Quarterback Marquise Williams, is loaded.

“We are very loaded with all the returning guys. We just have one guy missing, that’s Jack Tabb,” he says recalling the tight end from last year. “With Ryan Switzer, Mack Hollins, Landon Turner, TJ Logan, Elijah Hood, with so many weapons on offense I can’t be any happier.

“I’ve been smiling all day because I have a great opportunity to come out and make some plays with some big-time names.”

Expectations are high in Chapel Hill for the defensive side of the football under Chizik to catch up with the high-powered offense the Tar Heels will sport under head coach Larry Fedora. Schoettmer says there is a lot left for this year’s version of the Tar Heels to accomplish.

“We made a bowl game [last year] with six wins. That’s not something we’re proud of,” he says. “We’re definitely happy we went to a bowl game, but our goal is to win an ACC Championship.

“You don’t do that by winning six games. You do that by winning 10 games, 10-plus games. That’s what we’re looking forward to and focusing on this fall.”

Head Coach Larry Fedora will address the media at the ACC Kickoff on Tuesday.

UNC Linebacker: “Our Goal is to Win an ACC Championship.”

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