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#UNC WR Jordan Shipp, DB Thaddeus Dixon & DB Will Hardy at ACC Kickoff press conference
Jul 24, 2025
#UNC WR Jordan Shipp, DB Thaddeus Dixon & DB Will Hardy at ACC Kickoff press conference
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0:00
WCHL chapel.com. Uh, thanks for your
0:03
time today. You're obviously no stranger
0:05
to big games. You played in the college
0:06
football playoff and you were at UDub.
0:08
Uh, what can you tell some of the
0:10
players that are less experienced with
0:12
that kind of stage just how different
0:14
the game is because the TCU game uh week
0:17
one national TV prime time. It's there's
0:19
going to be a lot of people watching
0:20
that game.
0:21
Uh, yeah. The main thing I can tell the
0:23
young guys is that it's just the same
0:25
game. I mean, football is going to be
0:26
football. uh no matter how big the stage
0:29
is. I mean, you still got to go out
0:30
there and play. So, I would just tell
0:31
the young guys, man, don't look at it no
0:33
different than what it is. I mean, it's
0:35
just another game. You got to go out
0:36
there and perform.
0:38
That your next question, left side of
0:39
the room will be just about in the
0:41
middle.
0:43
Owen Coin, WBFS Tallahassee. Um you're
0:47
going into a system now, which is
0:50
getting hired by Bill Belch, which is um
0:52
he's coached several amazing
0:54
quarterbacks, all been quarterbacks. How
0:57
is it being a part of that system in
0:58
North Carolina?
1:00
Um, it's special. Um, it's been a lot of
1:02
great quarterbacks that, you know, Coach
1:03
Bell has coached, you know, dudes like
1:05
Ty Law, Derel Rivas. So, you know, to
1:08
just try and be a part of that pedigree
1:10
and, you know, it's it's it's honestly
1:12
special, man. Um, it's something that I
1:14
I look forward to every day, just
1:15
getting better every day. And, you know,
1:17
hopefully, you know, my name could be
1:18
with those guys names.
1:20
Bad. Stay on that row. Just a couple of
1:22
people down. Sir, if you'll please
1:24
stand.
1:26
Thank you.
1:28
Skip Foreman with the news and record of
1:30
Greensboro and Win Salem Journal. What
1:32
have you learned about yourself in this
1:35
particular training session as it
1:38
relates to a an NFL former NFL coach
1:43
getting you to the point where you want
1:44
to be? How much better do you think
1:46
you've gotten in this period of time?
1:48
Man, I've gotten a lot better. Um, the
1:50
main thing really just my attention to
1:52
detail. uh my attention detail on on
1:54
little stuff, you know, um just taking
1:56
everything serious as far as like
1:58
stretching, taking care of my body,
2:00
eating, uh lifting weights hard, you
2:02
know, stuff like that. Um really just
2:04
keying in on on all the the small
2:06
details, you know, propel my game to the
2:08
next level. Uh, still on that same rope,
2:12
Billy Mitchell son this Saturday. You
2:14
have to be answering a million questions
2:16
about your coach and his personality and
2:18
there's a lot known about his
2:19
personality, but can you tell me a
2:20
little bit about the personality of the
2:22
Tar Hills and of your team and what we
2:24
can expect out of the Tar Hills this
2:25
year?
2:26
Yeah, you can uh expect a tough, smart,
2:28
dependable team, you know, a team that
2:30
communicates a lot. Um, a team that's
2:32
well put together, well driven. Uh, team
2:34
with a chip on their shoulder. Uh,
2:36
honestly, everybody got something to
2:37
prove. Everybody's trying to get
2:38
somewhere. So, you know, that's what you
2:40
can expect out of us.
2:42
That first row just to your right,
2:45
Nathan Lau with the Hill Brothers. Uh
2:47
Fattius, you're a guy that's played in
2:49
some really big games in your career
2:50
there at UDub and now you bring all that
2:52
experience over to North Carolina. Going
2:54
into a DB room that has been listed as
2:57
questionable over the last few years.
3:00
What is your message to them on
3:02
heightening the production and getting
3:04
the best out of each player in that
3:06
room? Um, I mean it starts every day
3:08
just attacking each day. Trying to go
3:10
one and0 every day. Uh, you can't make
3:12
plays on Saturdays until you make plays
3:14
in the offseason, you know, working
3:15
hard. So, you know, I just tell guys,
3:17
you know, keep the main thing the main
3:19
thing. Everybody strive every day. Try
3:21
and get better. And then on Saturdays,
3:23
everything's going to take care of
3:23
itself. I mean, it's football.
3:26
We're going to go back to the front row
3:27
to the left this time.
3:32
Dan Torto, wakeup calld.com. just what
3:35
it's like working with defensive
3:36
coordinator Steve Bichc and what you've
3:37
taken away from his leadership so far.
3:39
Man, I I take it a lot. Um, you know, I
3:41
built a very close relationship with
3:43
coach Steve. You know, he's been with me
3:45
pretty much every step of the way going
3:46
back to last year when he first touched
3:48
down at Washington. Uh, you know, being
3:50
able to learn from a guy like that who
3:51
has so much football knowledge, so much
3:52
knowledge of the game and scheme and
3:54
stuff like that. Um, I feel like it's
3:56
really like propelled my game to the
3:57
next level as far as just understanding
3:59
the game and and other offensive
4:01
coordinators and kind of like, you know,
4:03
just the ins and outs of of the defense.
4:05
Bad. Your last question will come to the
4:07
right hard right fifth row.
4:09
Thomas Christopher from the league
4:10
winners. Can you talk about the
4:12
importance of disrupting a receiver on
4:13
their stem and what you're looking to do
4:15
at the top of the route to turn some of
4:17
those pass deflections into more
4:18
turnovers this season?
4:20
Yeah. So, um, I mean it's football,
4:22
offense, everything's about timing. So,
4:24
just being able to uh disrupt timing. I
4:26
mean, it could be a slight, you know,
4:28
half a second the quarterback's going to
4:30
come off the read. So, just being able
4:31
to disrupt timing and, you know, not
4:33
really see some of the balls that I'm
4:34
seeing and then, you know, the balls
4:36
that I do see, we got to go intercept
4:37
them.
4:38
Pat, thank you. You and Will can switch
4:40
spots. You've got five minutes or so
4:43
with our DB. Even if you've asked a
4:46
question, please reintroduce yourselves
4:47
to our student athletes. That would be
4:49
great.
4:50
We will go first question. Will to the
4:52
right side first row.
4:59
Nathan Lard with the Hill brothers.
5:01
Will, you've been on this team for a
5:03
number of seasons now. You've seen the
5:04
ups and downs. Uh, what is it for you as
5:07
a guy who's been with this team for a
5:09
while to see Bill Bich come in and be
5:12
your head coach and how the the aura of
5:15
the team and the mindset of the team has
5:18
changed over the last seven, eight
5:19
months now?
5:20
Yeah, there's going to be a lot of new
5:21
this year. I'm sort of excited for the
5:23
the new change, the new spark, new
5:25
energy that that this season's bringing
5:27
to to the team, to the players in the
5:29
team that stayed, but also just to the
5:31
whole fan base and the community of
5:33
Chapel Hill. I think everyone's looking
5:34
forward to it. I'm no different. Um I
5:37
know all the players on the team that
5:38
were here last year are excited for this
5:40
new change. When we got the news that
5:42
coach Belich was going to be our new
5:43
coach, um we're all pumped for it.
5:45
Shocked at first, but um ready to get to
5:48
work and and that's exactly what we've
5:49
been doing.
5:50
Will right side about the sixth row hard
5:52
to the right.
5:54
Brandon Blackwell, Observer News. Um
5:57
we're obviously in this new era of
5:58
college football where the transfer
6:00
portal is ever prominent. Um UNCC was
6:03
one of the teams that was more active
6:04
this year. So being a guy who stayed,
6:07
what has been your role in in keeping
6:10
these guys uh we're getting these guys
6:12
used to the life of Chapel Hill and
6:14
getting them accustomed to Tar Hill
6:15
culture?
6:16
Yeah, like you said, we've got a lot of
6:18
new players from this team and that's
6:20
just cuz we brought in a ton of new guys
6:21
that are that have a lot of talent and
6:23
so um anytime there's change, it's good.
6:26
um especially in this day and age. And
6:28
so as a leader on the team that's been
6:30
here, it's sort of one of my roles to
6:33
get everyone, you know, established um
6:35
learn everybody's names, but also just
6:37
learn everything about these guys and
6:39
really create a team chemistry that that
6:41
can go away on Saturdays. Um it's hard
6:43
to play successful football when you got
6:46
a bunch of individuals out there playing
6:47
for themselves. And so this summer and
6:49
this fall and our mindset is how can we,
6:51
you know, play successful, play fast,
6:53
but play together so that we can, you
6:55
know, have success on the field.
6:57
Keep the attention right there, the
6:58
gentleman right in front of him.
7:00
Uh, Brandon Pockers, the league winners,
7:02
kind of building upon that, what's been
7:04
your leadership style over the spring,
7:06
over the summer, now heading into fall
7:08
camp, and how are you getting the rest
7:10
of your defensive unit ready to hit the
7:12
ground running in the 2025 season? Yeah,
7:14
we've got a competitive group of guys,
7:16
especially in the defensive back room.
7:18
So, everyone wants to, you know, improve
7:20
with themselves, uh, and just build a
7:22
unit. And so, as a leader for that unit,
7:25
um, man, it's it's been, you know,
7:27
important for me to be an encourager.
7:28
Uh, we we have some hard days, maybe
7:30
some days where we didn't practice as
7:31
well as we wanted to or some hard
7:33
workouts that are tough to get through.
7:34
And so, being a guy that, you know,
7:36
people can know that they'll get some
7:38
encouragement from, um, is important for
7:40
me. I think leadership uh it'll come in
7:42
all shapes and sizes but being someone
7:44
that people can count on and can trust
7:46
that's important for me.
7:47
Will left side about the sixth row
7:49
center of the room.
7:51
Skip Foreman who's in regular Greensboro
7:53
with Salem Journal defense was a
7:58
spotlight for not the best of reasons
8:00
last year. What have you learned in the
8:03
time you've trained leading up to this
8:06
season that will believe lead you to
8:09
believe you're going to be a better
8:10
defense in 2025?
8:12
Yeah. And new coaching staff um with a
8:14
great scheme and great new players,
8:16
which is very exciting. But thing about
8:18
defense and football in general is we
8:20
need all 11 playing on the same page.
8:23
One guy messes up and an explosive can
8:25
happen. So building that team chemistry
8:27
and really holding each other
8:28
accountable through practices and
8:29
everything, that's important. And that's
8:31
on the top of our minds playing all
8:33
together all 11. So that'll help us this
8:36
year.
8:37
Will we'll go back to the front row just
8:38
to your left.
8:41
Will Dan Tortora wakeup callt.com
8:44
that development off the field from Bill
8:46
Bich and the coaching staff just to
8:48
speak to that on the field. Obviously
8:50
there's a lot that's going to happen but
8:51
off the field building into a stronger
8:53
young man in society. Just what you can
8:55
say to that. Yeah, Coach Belich has
8:57
brought in multiple guys, former players
8:59
to talk to us just about, man, what else
9:01
is there outside of just football. It
9:03
takes a lot to be a great football
9:04
player and that's not just on the field
9:05
stuff. That's nutrition, that's sleep,
9:08
that is recovery. And and so when you
9:10
pour all this into football, man, any
9:13
anytime, we're all going to end football
9:14
at some point. And so, how can you pour
9:17
all that investment into something else?
9:18
whether you're, you know, a dad, um,
9:21
whether you're, you know, spouse,
9:22
whatever it is, how can you pour
9:24
everything into a relationship? And so,
9:26
we've learned that he's brought in many
9:28
guys, former players to come and speak
9:29
on that.
9:31
Will thank you. You and Jordan can now
9:33
place him. And we will finish out our
9:35
time with North Carolina with our wide
9:37
receiver. Lots of hands in the air. So,
9:40
what we'll do is we will slide to the
9:42
right hard right first row right here in
9:45
front of me. Jordan,
9:46
John, what's up? uh QCB Clark Sports
9:49
Radio Charlotte. Um I'm from Charlotte
9:51
so I know about your dad Steve Shiff and
9:52
I came one of the top receivers uh in
9:56
the country and I want to know what
9:58
advice one piece of advice that stuck
10:00
out with you that he gave you when you
10:02
landed in Chap Hill here two two years
10:03
ago and also I know that your nickname
10:05
growing up was Duke and as we talk here
10:09
right now uh is your nickname still
10:12
Duke? Um,
10:14
first I just want to start off by uh
10:16
giving the praise and glory to my Lord
10:18
and Savior Jesus Christ. Without him I
10:20
wouldn't be here. So I just want to
10:21
start off with that. And then uh he he
10:23
might call me that here and there, you
10:24
know, off the record uh here and there.
10:27
But um like you said, man, the biggest
10:29
advice that he gave me was um where
10:31
would you go if you couldn't play
10:32
football anymore? That was the biggest
10:33
thing he said to me was like like where
10:35
would you go if football was taken from
10:37
you? You're comfortable to school um you
10:39
know if distance plays into it or
10:40
anything like that. And um another thing
10:42
that like drove me was just want to be
10:44
better than him. You know, I always grew
10:46
up just kind of kind of like in his
10:47
shadows a little bit. It was always like
10:49
important to me to kind of like overcome
10:51
that. So I feel like that's something
10:52
that motivated me day in and day out.
10:54
Just want to be better than him and just
10:55
want to have my own man because a lot of
10:56
times when people say shift to talk
10:58
about my dad, but now I feel like I've
11:00
kind of swapped that narrative and I've
11:01
been able to kind of like put myself
11:03
over and just being able to work hard
11:04
just try and like surpass him.
11:06
So Jordan, we'll stay on the right side.
11:08
Second row, please.
11:09
Jordan, Michael Co. WCHL chopper bro.com
11:12
during the offseason Kobe Pac initially
11:14
entered the transfer portal but he uh
11:17
took his name back out and I was with
11:18
you guys.
11:19
How big was it to retain him not just
11:22
from a skill perspective but from a
11:24
leadership perspective?
11:25
Yeah. Um you know we have a young
11:26
receiver room and Kobe brings
11:28
experience. Kobe uh Kobe's a great
11:30
player. Kobe's a great friend. I feel
11:31
like that's something that gets uh
11:32
overlooked. You know when you're in the
11:34
role you want to be able to surround
11:35
around great people and Kobe's a great
11:37
guy. Kobe's a great person. Kobe is
11:38
somebody that I know I can rely on off
11:41
the field and on the field as well. And
11:42
um I personally Kobe um Kobe, JJ and
11:45
Nate last year, they really took me
11:46
under the wing and kind of like just
11:48
helped me bold me into like the athlete
11:49
like the college athlete I wanted to be
11:51
and kind of like set the foundation for
11:52
me. So just being able to still have him
11:54
be still be able to like look up to him
11:55
and kind of shadow him a little bit is
11:57
definitely uh important.
11:59
Left side right in front of you. First
12:01
row,
12:02
Joe Bombo, Aon Sports. Jordan, you went
12:05
from one Hall of Fame coach and coach
12:07
Greer down to coach Belch. Uh, what type
12:10
of conversations have you had with coach
12:12
G about advice going on to coach Belch?
12:16
And two, has there ever been any
12:18
conversations about bringing your former
12:20
quarterback in Jada in Carolina?
12:24
Um, definitely. Um, I talk to Coach
12:26
Greer a lot. You know, Coach Greer is um
12:29
a huge reason why I'm here. Coach Greer
12:31
poured into me, his family, Miss Nyla,
12:33
Will Greer, um all the Gers, they all
12:35
poured into me a lot. So, you know, they
12:37
I talked to coach a lot and um a lot of
12:38
the conversation that I've had with
12:40
coach Brier in high school is kind of
12:41
similar to what um coach Bell brings. He
12:43
wants to be tough, smart, dependable.
12:44
And uh Coach Beer kind of echoed that
12:46
same thing we're in high school. And I
12:48
feel like that's why we were so good at
12:49
a such a such a high level high school
12:52
program because of like the way he
12:54
carried himself and the things that he
12:55
poured into us, you know, and um and um
12:58
yeah, I just feel like like coach Greer
13:00
is like a great coach, but then you look
13:01
at coach B and he just takes that to a
13:03
whole another level. You know, you're
13:04
going to be tough, smart, dependable.
13:05
You're going to be disciplined and um
13:07
we're going to do everything right.
13:08
We're going to play to his standard and
13:09
that standard is not going to drop it
13:10
off for nobody. You can't obtain it.
13:12
Just go ahead and get out the way. Next
13:13
guy up.
13:14
Jordan, right side, first row. Nathan
13:17
with the Hill brothers. First off, ship
13:18
lovely shoes by the way, but also I want
13:21
to talk to you about Freddy Kitchens, a
13:23
guy that was uh in the tight ending room
13:24
over the last couple seasons. Now he
13:25
comes over to offensive coordinator.
13:27
Talk about some of the things that he's
13:29
brought as as a coordinator to you guys
13:31
and uh some of the strategies that he's
13:34
got for you guys.
13:35
Um we're definitely going to be unique
13:37
offense. You know, don't want to give
13:38
too much out, but we're going to do
13:39
we're going to be unique. We're going to
13:40
do a lot of different stuff and we're
13:42
going to get a lot of first downs. We're
13:43
going to score a lot of points. And um
13:45
coach K and uh like I said um with coach
13:47
Bellich, he brought in Kevin for a
13:49
reason. So I mean obviously he liked
13:50
what he was doing. So there's no reason
13:51
not to trust him 100%. But like I said,
13:53
we're going to be unique. We're going to
13:54
move the ball. We're going to do
13:55
different things with different
13:56
personnels and a lot of different
13:57
people.
13:59
North Carolina, thank you. Good luck
14:00
this season and enjoy
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