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#UNC defensive backs Thaddeus Dixon and Will Hardy at press availability Thursday morning.
Jul 24, 2025
#ACCKickoff
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0:01
questions for T.
0:02
Yeah, D. Um, looking at, you know,
0:04
obviously having been able to go through
0:06
the spring and, you know, get to know
0:07
some of their teammates and things like
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that and obviously having the reps on
0:10
the field, how would you kind of
0:11
characterize what this year's UNCC
0:13
defense would look like? If you had to
0:14
kind of describe it, how would you
0:16
describe it?
0:17
Uh, tough, physical, smart, dependable.
0:21
Um, you know, just all them
0:23
characteristics is what we've been
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working on for the past like 20 weeks.
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Just going at it hard every day, things
0:28
like that. Um, we'll be a uh a real
0:31
tight-knit defense. You know, one that
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communicates a lot, flies to the ball,
0:35
never gets tired, things like that.
0:39
Um, what's the biggest challenge you
0:40
think you guys would face going into
0:42
this season within the roster?
0:44
Um, I'll probably just say getting
0:46
better every day, going one and0 every
0:48
day. Uh, coming together as a team. I
0:50
mean, as y'all know, we got a lot of new
0:52
faces and things like that. Um, a lot of
0:55
new faces. So, you know, really just
0:56
coming together as a team and making
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sure we can all put our best foot
0:59
forward every day and just make sure we
1:01
taking the right strides each and every
1:02
day.
1:03
Do you have any idea of how long it may
1:04
take you guys to actually figure out how
1:07
to play together? Like, does it have to
1:09
happen in actual games before you
1:10
totally know if you're have built that
1:12
chemistry or
1:13
Nah, you built that chemistry in the
1:15
offseason. Um, we all suffered together
1:17
in a in a strenuous strength program.
1:19
So, you know, just when you know what
1:21
your brother's going through every day
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and you know, y'all are attacking the
1:24
same workouts, going through the same
1:25
thing every day. I mean, it builds a
1:27
type of camaraderie that, you know, you
1:29
could take into the season without
1:30
playing the game.
1:31
What's it like being here? So much hype
1:33
around you guys. A lot of it because
1:34
you're you're head coach, but you're
1:36
here big media day and a lot of eyes
1:38
around you. What's that like so far?
1:40
Um, you know, it's been great. I mean, I
1:41
just got here, you know, we had a nice
1:43
little twohour uh two-hour little drive,
1:45
but you know, it's been great. Uh, you
1:47
know, Coach Bichc, you know, he does a
1:48
lot for the program, bringing a lot of
1:50
good eyes to the program, but at the end
1:52
of the day, man, we got to go out there
1:53
and play football. You know, he can't
1:54
make no plays. Ted,
1:56
I know we were asking you about it when
1:57
we talked to you the last time, but in
1:59
terms of the defense y'all ran at
2:01
Washington under Steve like is it pretty
2:05
much carbon copy of what you guys are
2:06
doing here? Like, what are the what are
2:08
the similarities and the differences
2:09
that you see having been in it?
2:11
Yeah, so the the defense we ran at
2:13
Washington was the 2024 Washington
2:15
defense. Uh, Coach Steve is emphasizing
2:17
the 2025 University of North Carolina
2:20
defense. So, two completely different
2:22
defenses. Um, definitely not the same.
2:26
We got we got new players, uh, a whole
2:29
lot of new pieces. So, um, you know, you
2:31
y'all have to see on week one.
2:33
To follow up on that, like, do you have
2:35
to in all seriousness, do you have to
2:37
like sort of be a teacher, too, since
2:39
you played in the scheme before and
2:41
there's so many just different people
2:43
from all over?
2:44
Yeah. as a vet and a guy who's played in
2:46
the defense. Um, obviously, you know, a
2:48
lot of the younger guys, they come up to
2:49
me to ask questions about the defense.
2:51
And I mean, I got nothing but game to
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give them. So, yeah, anytime somebody
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has a question or if they don't know
2:56
something, I mean, I'm always the first
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one to go up there and, you know, try to
2:59
get on the board with them and help them
3:00
learn like, you know, what I know.
3:04
Anything else with that?
3:05
All right. Good stuff.
3:06
Thanks, sir. Appreciate.
3:08
So, you got to be fast.
3:09
Yeah, of course. Well, as somebody who's
3:12
played for USC for a while and you've
3:14
seen the defenses of your class and how
3:16
you're willing to play under this
3:18
defense, what kind of similarities and
3:19
differences are you?
3:20
Yeah, I think at the end of the day,
3:22
defense, there's only so much scheme you
3:24
can have. So, um, it's new we have, it's
3:27
a lot of things I've done in the past,
3:28
but you know, maybe, you know, different
3:30
tendencies that we have. Um, we for sure
3:32
have a lot more freedom as safeties with
3:34
the ability to just make adjustments
3:35
ourselves, which I've loved. Having
3:37
doing that in the spring is awesome. Um,
3:40
just being able to go back there and,
3:42
you know, make adjustments, be flexible.
3:44
Uh, it's given me more freedom and I
3:45
think it'll lead to a lot more success
3:46
this year.
3:47
Belch's known for situational football
3:49
like the Malcolm Butler playing the
3:51
Super Bowl, like actually coached for
3:52
that in a way. Has there been anything
3:54
that stood out to you of situations that
3:56
you've prepared for that you never even
3:57
imagined?
3:58
Yeah. I mean, even just in spring ball,
4:00
we did a lot of situational football. So
4:02
third downs uh you know red zone two
4:05
minute um we did this one you know red
4:07
zone lockout where offense goes against
4:09
defense we just go back and forth in the
4:11
red zone and that's where games were won
4:13
and loss you know where the points are
4:14
you know counted in the red zone so even
4:17
just like that and then watching film
4:18
you know with coach Bich his emphasis on
4:20
situational awareness and just teaching
4:22
us you know when to do what and why
4:25
we're doing things has been really cool
4:26
to see.
4:27
Well we've seen that season tickets are
4:29
sold out. You guys obviously have a lot
4:30
of hype behind the program tied to the
4:32
new head coach. How different has it
4:34
been as somebody that's been here um you
4:37
know last year to this year?
4:38
Yeah, it's it's been good. It's been a
4:39
lot of new good um things. I think the
4:42
um you know, the crowd and and the um
4:45
just the fans getting more involved this
4:47
year is what something I'm looking
4:48
forward to a lot. You know, that first
4:49
game against CCU is going to be really
4:51
exciting Monday night on ESPN. So, um
4:54
man, the tension's building and we're
4:55
looking forward to excited to start fall
4:57
camp soon. How are the fans getting more
4:59
going? You just mentioned that.
5:00
Yeah, I mean just like you said like the
5:02
ticket sales, I mean seeing that this
5:04
early and every single game is already
5:06
sold out. Um that's just one way and I I
5:09
just I I sort of expect some more um
5:12
coming this year just because of you
5:13
know what our team's going to bring a
5:15
lot of new um exciting stuff. Caroline,
5:18
I said that in the past about the season
5:20
tickets being sold out in the the
5:22
individual game tickets for something
5:25
and it seems like the release is there's
5:27
not a ticket available for any seat in
5:29
any game. But that's not the way it's
5:32
always worked out for Carolina. If it's
5:34
a not a high-profile opponent or the
5:37
team isn't doing very well, a lot of
5:39
people don't show up. So, uh, is there a
5:43
different, uh, a different enthusiasm
5:46
from the fans that you noticed?
5:48
Yeah, I mean, it's hard to tell, you
5:49
know, in the offseason as of right now,
5:51
but I'm looking forward to that first
5:52
game and then as we continue to have
5:54
success, I expect it to continue the
5:55
rest of the year.
5:56
Will being so close uh and being coached
5:59
by all three Bells, like what do you
6:02
when you see them working together or
6:04
talking together or doing whatever it is
6:06
they do, like how do you sort of process
6:09
that? I mean, what are they like as a
6:10
group
6:11
together? Yeah, it's been a cool dynamic
6:13
to see um coach Brian Bichc and even
6:16
coach Steve Bichc just working on
6:18
defense together. They, you know, they
6:20
grow up grew up with their father um and
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know this game in and out. And so they
6:24
all, you know, they'll go back and forth
6:26
debating things, but they all know the
6:28
scheme and it's been easy for them to
6:30
coach it directly to us. But it's just
6:32
been cool to see cuz, you know, me, my
6:33
brother played for my dad and so it's
6:35
sort of that similar, you know,
6:36
father-son dynamic. Um that's always
6:39
special to be a part of.
6:40
Do they have their own language? Like is
6:42
there sometimes you're like what the
6:43
heck are these people?
6:44
Uh not necessarily, but just the kind of
6:46
going back and forth. Um you can tell
6:49
it's a little bit different relationship
6:50
than just a regular assistant coach and
6:52
coach.
6:53
Well, when you look at obviously going
6:54
into this year, you had the spring
6:56
practice, a lot of, you know, new guys.
6:57
We talked about that a little bit last
6:59
month. Now you're going to have an
7:00
influx of, you know, kind of some other
7:01
guys that come in through the portal.
7:03
From your vantage point, how long maybe
7:04
do you think it'll take to, you know,
7:06
kind of get guys to jail and and develop
7:08
chemistry?
7:09
Yeah, we we've been working that on that
7:11
a lot this summer, even during workouts.
7:13
Um, and once we start fall camp, those
7:15
first couple practices are big just to
7:17
sort of get the ground uh rolling and
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uh, you know, get getting connected on
7:22
offense and defensive level, but I think
7:23
it'll be smooth.
7:24
All right, we got to wrap up everyone.
7:26
Sorry about that. So we got to do
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