Q&A with UNC coach Larry Fedora

North Carolina starts spring practices today in what will be coach Larry Fedora?s second season. The Tar Heels finished 8-4 last year and atop the Coastal Division standings, but were ineligible to play for the postseason because of NCAA sanctions. This year, North Carolina is eligible and has a chance to be a contender again, but first it has to replace some big-time talent on both sides of the ball. I spoke with Fedora recently to get his take on where the program stands heading into the spring.

Here are the highlights of the first part of our conversation:

You had a great season in your first year, but this year you?re eligible to compete for the ACC title. Does that change the perspective going in?

Larry Fedora: It doesn?t really change the perspective. For us, the objective is to be better in each of the three phases than we were at the end of the season. You?ve got some holes you have to fill with seniors who left who did some good things. We?ve got to identify the guys who are going to step up and fill those holes and who are going to make the plays. Are we going to pick up where we left off, or are we going to go back? Are we going to start backwards? For us, it?s trying to pick up where we left off, and by the end of spring, be a better football team than we were in the last game.

What does the competition look like to replace Giovani Bernard?

LF: For Gio, we?ve got A.J. Blue and Romar Morris, and we have a kid we signed out of Durham by the name of Khris Francis, who is in school. Those three guys will be competing for that playing time. It?s the same thing I told them last year: For us it doesn?t matter whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. It?s about producing, and the guys who produce are the ones who are going to be on the football field. We?ll see in spring what those three guys do. Both Romar and A.J., they got extensive playing time last year, so they?re going to feel comfortable with the system, and they?ll be better players than they were last year.

What does quarterback Bryn Renner need to focus on this spring?

LF: If you watched Bryn progress over the season, really about the last five games were maybe his best of the season. I think it?s to pick up where he left off. Hopefully, with the position development stuff that we do in the offseason, Bryn will pick up where he left off and be better than he was at the end of the season. Leadership is huge, which Bryn is taking a hold of and running with. I think for him it?s managing the game and taking advantage of what the defense gives us. That goes back to making great decisions. If we can make sure we improve in those areas, then he is going to be a better football player.

Overall, how do you think you guys look defensively? You lose some big names over there.

LF: Yeah we lose Kevin Reddick, we lose Sly (Sylvester Williams), some pretty big names that are going to go on and play at the next level and do well. We?ll be revamping in a lot of areas. We?ve got some young guys on the D-line that are going to have to step up and see who?s going to emerge as a leader up there. Kareem Martin really needs to have a big year for us. He?s a guy who?s going to come back with the most experience. Tim Jackson is going to be a guy inside that?s going to come back with the most experience. You?ve got Shawn Underwood, and you?ve got Devonte Brown, those are all guys who really need to have a great spring. Ethan Farmer, those guys. This spring is going to be very, very critical for their success. Justin Thompson and Jessie Rogers, they?re not freshmen anymore. I think they?re going to make some great improvement this spring. Then you go to the backers. I think this is really big for Travis Hughes. Travis Hughes needs to become the man. I?m looking forward to seeing what he does and Tommy Heffernan has to keep improving.

Check back Thursday for Part II of the conversation.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/53087/qa-with-unc-coach-larry-fedora-2

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