New UNC football defensive back talks about defensive expectations in 2025
Bill Belichick and four of his players spent the day in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday, representing UNC at the annual ACC Kickoff event.
As you can imagine, Belichick brought about a large crowd – both in the hallways and media room. Though Belichick is the hot ticket in Chapel Hill this college football season, he won't be the one donning jerseys and pads on game day.
When you look at the Tar Heels' roster this coming fall, you'll see plenty of new faces, particularly on a defense that historically struggles.
Washington transfer Thaddeus Dixon, expected to make a huge impact at cornerback for North Carolina, spoke at ACC Kickoff about what fans can expect from UNC's new-look defense.
"You can expect a tough, smart, dependable team," Dixon said. "A team that communicates a lot. A team that's well put-together, well-driven. A team with a chip on their shoulder. All of those characteristics are what we've been working on for the past 20 weeks. Just going at it hard every day. We'll be a real tight-knit defense, one that communicates a lot, flies to the ball, never gets tired, things like that.'
Dixon, who started 12 games at Washington over his first two collegiate seasons, also spoke about being a veteran leader within the Tar Heels' new defense. Dixon's defensive coordinator, Steve Belichick, also coached him in Seattle.
'As a vet and a guy who's played in the defense, obviously a lot of the younger guys, they come up to me and ask questions about the defense," Dixon said. "I've got nothing but game to give them. Any time somebody has a question or they don't know something, I'm always the first one to go up there and try to get on the board with them and help them learn.'
North Carolina is hoping Dixon, who totaled 69 tackles, 16 pass breakups, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble with the Huskies, while also earning Honorable Mention All-Big 10 Honors in 2024, can be the difference-maker UNC's defense needs to make a positive impact in 2025.
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