By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — With a new season approaching and North Carolina aiming to redefine its defense, senior defensive back Marcus Allen is stepping into a pivotal role — one that blends expectation with experience, mentorship with motivation.
Allen knows the stakes of his final college season.
“I’m approaching it just 100%,” he said. “I’m just trying to work on my craft and perfect the little things that held me back last year. Just get better at the things I know I need to work on, and ultimately, just go out there and make plays because I know what I can do.”
The 6–1½, 190-pound Allen has played 39 games over three seasons, with 72 tackles, 29 assists and three interceptions, including two last season.
The development of Allen, a four-star recruit from Marietta, Ga., has also been shaped by coaching changes, having now played under three defensive coordinators. This year, three Belichicks coach him: head coach Bill, defensive coordinator Steve and defensive backs/safeties coach Brian.
“Steve is a great coach. He has a lot of experience. He knows the defense well, knows what position we need to be in. He knows the best position to put us in to win,” Allen said. “And then Brian, he’s a mastermind. He knows everything that’s going on with the defense. Just having them two together is really allowing us to be a better defense, make smarter calls, and make more plays.”
This year’s offseason emphasized conditioning and tempo under Moses Cabrera, the head strength and conditioning coach, who spent 12 years with the New England Patriots from 2011 to 2023.
“We’ve been really working on our craft this offseason with Moses so we can be in condition to keep up with the offense, the tempo and all that,” Allen said. “Steve just being able to call the correct call and having trust in us to go out there and play — I think that’s a big difference.”
That trust is matched by intensity. With the arrival of Bill Belichick, physicality is no longer optional — it’s a demand.
“I was already going to think it’s about to be a whole different change,” Allen said of Belichick’s arrival. “It’s good that we’re being really physical in practice, so that we can take the physicality from the practice and bring it to the game. Ultimately, football is about who wants it more. Who’s gonna go out there and lay it down on the other team? It just happened. We just went out there. It’s time to hit.”
Beyond tackling and tempo, communication has emerged as a crucial piece of the puzzle.
“They’ve been emphasizing everybody talking,” Allen said. “That’s a way for our defense to really step up — if everybody’s on the field communicating what you’re seeing, pre-snap reads, things that you might be anticipating, let your guy know. This might be coming from here.”
Versatility is another theme.
“We want to build plug-and-play guys,” Allen said. “Have guys be able to play different positions so that whatever you can do best is what you’re going to be put on the field to do.”
As one of the veterans in the room, Allen doesn’t take that lightly.
“I want to focus a lot on just being a mentor to the younger guys and really bringing them along so that if they’ve got to go in the game, they’ll be ready,” Allen said. “They’ll feel ready to go out there and be confident. Just give the knowledge that I’ve learned from playing all these years to the young guys so they’re ready and prepared.”
That leadership has extended to supporting teammates through adversity — like watching quarterback Max Johnson recover from a major injury.
“That speaks a lot to his character, just seeing how egregious that injury was,” Allen said. “Just for him to be able to stay in tune with the team, stay connected with the guys, and just put in work every day to be able to come back. It’s great seeing him back out there.”
Allen still tries to intercept Johnson’s passes in practice, of course. “Oh yes, absolutely,” he laughed.
But for all the hard hits, interceptions and coverage reads to come this season, Allen remains grounded in the basics: energy, fun and relentless improvement.
“We love football,” Allen said. “We just take it day by day. Work our hardest. Go out there, perfect our craft. Have fun. That’s the main point — to have fun when we’re out there.”
Now a leader in a reshaped UNC defense, Allen isn’t just preparing to make plays — he’s preparing others to do the same.
Marcus Allen statistics
| Year | Games | Solo | Assists | Total | TFL- yards | INTs | Passes defended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 1–5 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | 13 | 35 | 14 | 49 | ½–0 | 1 | 9 |
| 2024 | 12 | 26 | 10 | 36 | 1–2 | 2 | 6 |
| Total | 39 | 72 | 29 | 101 | 2½–7 | 3 | 17 |
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