VIP notes from ECU’s second practice day before the season
It was another hot and humid morning on the East Carolina practice fields as the Pirates conducted their second day of camp on Thursday in preparation for the upcoming Aug. 31 season opener against Norfolk State. Like on Wednesday, the Pirates were in just helmets and jerseys without pads as the opening stages of the acclimation period of camp begins. The Pirates will begin to progress to pads this weekend as shoulder pads come on Friday and Saturday, before an off-day Sunday, and the full pads come on next week.
The media got about 30-40 minutes of practice access on Thursday, with it mostly consisting of walkthroughs and positional skills work, along with special teams. There was no live periods (team on team action) while we were out there. So in-depth evaluations on certain personnel will have to wait until we start seeing more true competition.
Training camp is hitting the midway point for North Carolina, with its season opener at Minnesota now 19 days away.
The Tar Heels still are in the thick of a contested quarterback race, with Max Johnson, Conner Harrell and Jacolby Criswell making their case to be the Week 1 starter. Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey met with reporters on Saturday for the first time during this training camp, updating Carolina’s quarterback battle and the team’s remade offensive line. He also provided insight on UNC’s recent scrimmage, which took place in the rain Thursday night at Kenan Stadium.
