By R.L. Bynum
DUBLIN — Plenty of new experiences are kicking in for most Carolina players visiting Ireland for the first time, but it’s familiar territory for a freshman punter.
What isn’t so familiar is American football.
Adam McCann-Gibbs is from Glen, Northern Ireland, and had only played soccer and Gaelic football before arriving on the Chapel Hill campus. After his teammates helped him learn more about American football, he’s giving them the lowdown on Ireland.
Belichick said interest in McCann-Gibbs has followed the team since it landed in Dublin, with reporters repeatedly asking about him.
“The entire town of Newry supposedly is coming down to watch Adam McCann-Gibbs,” one reporter told Belichick, referring to where McCann-Gibbs grew up in Northern Ireland. The reporter asked whether fans should expect to see him in action Saturday.
After a long pause, Belichick said, “Maybe,” with redshirt junior Australian Jacob Horvath likely handling the punting for Saturday’s Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium against TCU.
Belichick said McCann-Gibbs has made real strides in a sport that was entirely foreign to him before he joined the program, even if the technical demands of punting are still catching up with his natural leg strength.
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“Adam’s worked hard. He’s made an adjustment. It’s different. American football is different than what he’s been doing,” Belichick said. “Dealing with the rush, dealing with some of the situational plays that come up in punting.”
Belichick made no promises about McCann-Gibbs getting into Saturday’s Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium against TCU, though, with redshirt junior Australian Jacob Horvath likely handling the punting.
“It’s not like going out to the driving range and just hitting a golf ball out there. You actually got to hit different shots,” Belichick said. “You got plays where you need to punt the ball one way or the other, to the right, the left. Sometimes you got to rush, and you got to get it off, and other times they’re in a return, and they’re not really rushing anybody. So, the timing can be different as well.”
Belichick added that McCann-Gibbs’ progress has been steady, even if there’s still plenty of ground to cover before his first live snap.
“He’s done a good job adapting to it. He’s a good kid. He works hard. He’s got a good leg,” Belichick said. “But there are a lot of things in the punting game that need to be mastered, and he’s working on them. Certainly not there yet. Never punted in a game. So, he’s definitely coming along, but long way to go.”
Defensive back Kaleb Cost said the appreciation for McCann-Gibbs extends well beyond his leg, pointing to the example he sets in the building every day.
“He’s an unbelievable, unbelievable guy. The work that he puts in, the work ethic, he’s always one of the last guys to leave the facility,” Cost said. “Being able to see his journey, see where he came from, everyone on the team has a greater sense of appreciation for Adam, for his journey. It’s pretty cool to be able to be here for him, and see what Saturday has in store. But we’re all fired up.”
Center Christo Kelly, who visited Dublin in May with teammates, including McCann-Gibbs, gave him an early look at what this week would mean, and said learning McCann-Gibbs’ story only deepened his appreciation for the trip.
“For Adam and his story, and sort of what he went through to be able to get here, and just how big of a game this really is,” Kelly said. “There’s a greater sense of appreciation for what you’re really doing when you get that.”
For a roster made up almost entirely of first-time visitors to Ireland, McCann-Gibbs remains the one player who needed no orientation to the country itself, even if American football is still teaching him something new every day.
Photo via collegefootballireland.com
