Mack Brown Interview

Might have been the most optimistic I've been doing this entire pandemic watching college football in Montgomery Alabama over the weekend watching Austin P play and it went down to the wire against the fighting Scottie Pippen's of the University of Central Arkansas and it has already for the return of the ACC and will be enjoined by the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heel football program. It's the Hall of Famer Mack Brown who is now with us before we get to all that I got to know how to just celebrate your 69th birthday last week a happy belated birthday to you with her team is always on the payments that were about hundred and 50 to 200 football family may have to go to the practice of AP people have a party that good, especially with the pandemic and that 30 at night and with all the grandkids and I was so much fun.

We all talked about what we were doing and how are parting differently than we did before and what we're looking forward to doing it all over. Let's talk about some of the players that you call your football family and obviously one of the guys you been asked about a lot this off-season Sam how and I remember in the spring we were talking about how hey what's the next step for for Santa taken his progression as a quarterback you've had given him some pretty high praise during fall practice. Looking at the way that he's grown now that you've seen and what you think is the next step for him to take in a second season. When looking at family so driven is so committed to football.

He would be really have any hobbies outside of football. It's about his faith in his grade is well over 3.0 academically after year. I am passionate about football league over here every day studying video is talking to coach Longo and he's becoming a lot better leader when he gets more confidence and settled the other thing I think will be probably Joshua sees he's got more flexible lease is lost some weight because the good rental lot last year with a sore ankle. A sore knee and we did have experience backup so I will see him make a lot more plays with his feet scrambling and throwing this year than we did last year, which is really exciting for us is high school football in the state of North Carolina being played in February going to affect the way you recruit. I'd imagine you have the chance to watch more. These kids know that it got moved back simply because my 40 something years and coaching of always love scores on Friday night having Friday night football and all the guys that were recruiting were so excited about playing so glad they're playing with this morning that it didn't move back number one.

Secondly the NCAA. Right now the rules are that we have a there. In February 2 filing date over. We cannot go out so since the schools are starting to play.

February 22. Let's hope that they'll change that rule so people can come and watch our guys play background with the seer Tar Heel head football coach their opener against Syracuse in September 12 and it's so close coach and I've told people in radio.

Usually we spend the month of August is really getting hyped up about the football season, but there are a lot of football fans were apprehensive and doing so because they don't know a lot that you might be privy to about how safe the parameters are and how solid things are the testing three times a week I think is good to be a pretty big deal. You talked about how big the 24 hour testing is so now that you have the platform here across the triad. What would you say to a college football fan who still concerned it might be unsafe for college players to be playing football right now that we've got will automatically and so many different angles. If anybody felt it was for players for staff then we would be playing. Secondly we been practicing football now for a long time more than two weeks and we feel like that the football part is very safe. We have not had one pot to come out of football practice are meetings because were we learned how to do this for separating our meeting rooms were social good thing that we get on the field the best we can, were wearing masks were wearing heels where we have their individual water bottles where nobody touches their water bottle with them. We have all the doors open so they'll have to open and close the door and we have the patient is everywhere anything in the weight room so I really believe that the people around the country are doing a great job of ensuring the safety of these young guys so we can play football and their problems been across the country with you and with football players is when they say in their bubble there found when I go outside of that bubble and they go either or their group. A large group for the church or a party or a concert, then you're more likely to get the virus so we told our players if you will play this year and they do then what you need to do is make sure that you you don't have a social life this year like you moment in the past and that you have to stay around the football players have to wear your master, wash your hands and social distance while you are so I think that the biggest thing and right now our players are doing that job because I think also important for fans to know that we told every player. If you do not feel comfortable coming to meetings and if you do not play and you will for any reason and will pay for your scholarship per year think you're playing are excited about playing and if the across the country could see the guys practicing all of our schools.

They would see the excitement and in joy that the handouts after they love to play in the wake play in two weeks talking about the adjustment of a social life.

How would, 19, 20-year-old background either at Vanderbilt or Florida stated handle that you probably one might at that time Josh right now.

The 69-year-old me you and Sally.

We are basically quarantined our how we come here to the office were around. The kids were in their coaches and we go back we have eaten with anybody. We have been out for being very very careful because awful thing for me to be out socializing the virus and take it back to her team. So I'm trying my very best to make sure that that I keep Sally and I had a very low risk, so we won't hurt her team of play.

It's North Carolina football coach Mack Brown with the seer on sports on triad.

I'm always interested coach and how how coaches talk to their teens about goals, setting expectations last year you said we want to be a winning football team. We want to go to will bowl game and you did that in the spring you were talking about this year we feel like we can win the coastal division will now the coastal division isn't a thing in 2020 and I'm looking at with without the Big Ten and without the pack. 12 if you would just the AP preseason poll. You be the number of 12 team in America, and it seems the door is opened up for you guys to potentially be a title contender you talk to your team about that or do you look that far ahead. We we we have our golden plates every year regardless of what changes in number one, we tell them not to put any stock in preseason poll basically going all what happened last year and returning starters will prove anything yet. We also: our number one goal to win the opener and then we would like to meet all the teams in North Carolina that we play menu. You continue that to. It would've been the coastal and now you want to have a right to your company to ship to get to the playoffs and and then when Shippen and that's who we are and the only difference would be that the coast was not part of that this year I will close on this talking about why things are different in the fact that the coastal no longer exists. You're a big fan of college football more than anything else you love the history that I love pick your brain about the history of it in our past visits, so I'm interested in what you make of Notre Dame being in the league and not only that Notre Dame being on your schedule this year because as long as you been a coach.

Correct me if I'm wrong on this. I looked it the years that Notre Dame's play Texas and North Carolina and even later Appalachian State going way back when. Am I wrong that you've never faced Notre Dame in your coaching career. Number one I have not been exciting and we actually play them the next three years.

Got it in Chapel Hill twice and and what's in South Bend so that would be a wonderful experience where players and their fans number two there there. One of the better brands in college football and they do it right that they go by the rules.

They have great young people, family Brian Kelly and the type program that he runs in the really good every year so I love them being part of our ACC plan this year and I think it will bring more exposure to. I would also love that they join the ACC because of who they are and what they are and what they stand for an American would feel the same way so Notre Dame is just great. Brandon and something that everybody would be proud and their associated with less than two weeks away your season kicking off.

Did you get a chance to watch college football Saturday night. How did that was so exciting.

What's the best writing market thought he will ever have about that because it was the it was a fun game. It was good for our staff will challenge them to watch what was going on and look at how people were handling the game and no band in the stands are very few just felt like that.

This is something that the was belittling preview of what were going to be looking like in two weeks so it was good to see if we look forward to watching football this weekend. I was worried about it like okay what you can sound like without fans and I didn't want my expectations are so high for college football and that even though there were only 2000 fans.

There it reminded me a little bit of high school football and I love high school football just like a love college and love the NFL. So it really exceeded my expectations. I know your piping in crowd noise.

Good guys are can have fans the first month of the year but didn't exceed yours. It really didn't and we were talking about this morning. I got into the game so I didn't even realize there were band. I'm hoping that's what happens if we we had our two scrimmages in the stadium without anybody here and we told our players.

This is what you better bring your own energy we we had great advantage last year with our fans at home that it was it was real home-field advantage and were not have that this year there will be no home and away differences.

So get ready plan and play because they love it and enjoy it and in jobs.

I would like to say to that were about ready to get all 70% of our season-ticket holders have either donated their money this year are our role there their money over for the ticket for 2021 so 70%. I'm not sure anybody else in the country is done the same, especially when were not allowing them to come to the games in September so thank you North Carolina fans. He stood up last year and and you did a tremendous job in doing the same that Mendez thanks for sharing that with us and thanks for sharing your time today preparing for the yarns. We look forward to watching Mac. Thank God you got it. That is the head coach of the Tar Heels meant Brown spending some time with us and sits up in the college football spirit. I put together Robert Mike top 10 teams of the college football season coming up this year you got the eight people, but as Coach Brown said that's based on a lot of things that have to do with last year versus what this season is going to bear going to bring, so I got my top 10 college football teams of next year, and I'll tell you who they are ranked next