By R.L. Bynum
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — When North Carolina lost linebacker Jonathan Agumadu to injury a few weeks ago, the Tar Heels needed someone to take more snaps in the middle of their defense.
Redshirt sophomore Timir Hickman-Collins answered that need in a rainy 38–21 win at UConn on Saturday at Rentschler Field, with an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery that led to another score. He led the team in Pro Football Focus defensive grade (93.7) and pass-rush grade (80.8) in 15 defensive snaps.
The 6–2, 235-pound linebacker only played four special-teams snaps against TCU and got a season-high 18 snaps against ETSU. He picked off a deflected Kalieb Osborne pass on fourth-and-three and returned it 62 yards down the right sideline for a 7–0 lead with 5:29 left in the first quarter.
Later in the first half, he recovered an Osborne fumble on the third play of UConn’s next drive. Four plays later, Billy Edwards Jr. caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Shipp, and UNC led 21–7.
Coach Bill Belichick said Hickman-Collins has earned his growing role since Agumadu last played with 31 defensive snaps in the 31–30 overtime loss to Syracuse on Oct. 24. Hickman-Collins is in a three-for-two rotation with junior Peyton Seelmann and graduate student Derek McDonald.
“He’s really giving us some good snaps. Those guys have been able to [handle it] in a couple of these games,” Belichick said of the three. “We were out there like 90 plays against Syracuse, so we’re out there a lot of plays, and it’s hard for those guys to play every single snap.”
Hickman-Collins said his main job is to handle the middle linebacker duties while helping McDonald with the calls.
Subscribe to read Tar Heel Tribune ad-free
Subscribe for a cleaner, smoother reading experience without the flashing banners, slow-loading elements, or those especially annoying pop‑up ads that interrupt the flow of the story. You’ll also get the first version of each story emailed to you. The only ads you’ll see are static, non-intrusive ads for UNC‑related books, and there are none currently on the site.
More on Tar Heels
— Heels finish off UConn with strong defense, big late plays
— Good, Bad and Ugly Report: UConn
“I would say specifically Mike [position], but also help out Derek because I know he could be in that Mike role,” Hickman-Collins said. “In that linebacker room, we’re very close-knit.”
Belichick said the communication between the two has made the defense better when they share the field.
“He’s smart. He communicates well. He’s really one of our leaders on defense, and so if it’s him or Derek in there, they have really good communication and can manage the defense,” Belichick said. “Everybody else can play fast and play well. And when they’re together, which happens some, not a lot, that just really increases our level of experience and communication.”
Hickman-Collins said he was already comfortable making the calls before this season, and that McDonald has helped him sharpen that part of his game.
“Ever since last year, I was comfortable,” Hickman-Collins said. “The coaches helped me with that, and then having Derek coming in. He’s a senior, and he’s been doing this a long time, so having him going out there and then learning from him and the stuff that he does has been great.”
The interception was the first of his career at this level, but scoring on defense was not new to him. Hickman-Collins played tight end in high school, and he said the position never produced the kind of scoring plays he found on defense.
“I caught two pick-sixes my junior year of high school, and my senior year I had six interceptions in total,” said Hickman-Collins, a product of Indian Land High School in Fort Mill, S.C. “So, it wasn’t really new to me on the defensive side of the ball.”
He guessed his longest high school return was “about 50 yards,” which means Saturday’s 70-yard trip topped it.
On the third play of UConn’s ensuing drive, Hickman-Collins forced and recovered a fumble at the Huskies’ 22. He credited his teammates with getting to Osborne first. When the quarterback reached out with the ball, Hickman-Collins saw his chance.
“I just snatched the ball,” he said.
The defense forced three turnovers against UConn, and Hickman-Collins said the players had stressed that goal in practice all season. His role in producing them showed how much the linebacker group has changed since the start of the year.
“We’ve been really harping all year that we need to force turnovers,” Hickman-Collins said. “Every day in practice, we’ve been doing that, and today finally, a lot of us had a lot of turnovers. I feel like today really showed what we can do.”
And Hickman-Collins is showing he’s a big asset on defense.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
