NFL Draft Prospect Interview – Bryn Renner, QB North Carolina

Aug 29, 2013; Columbia, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Bryn Renner (2) looks to pass against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

PS: One of those true freshman is formerly Mr. Ohio.  How is Mitch Trubisky doing?

BR: He’s been doing great.  You know, just watching his progress, I’ve been to practice a couple times and he’s really pushing Marquise Williams.  Last year, we saw a lot of talent with him, obviously being on scout team and being able to get reps, even if it was just doing the other team’s playbook.   I think he’s going to be a heckuva talent and I think he’s pushing them really hard, so it’s going to be interesting when the games come around how he plays.  I’ve been so impressed with him mentally and also physically, the way he throws the ball and the way he runs it, he’s gonna be a special player.

PS: What did you spend the $500 on from the Belk Bowl?

BR: Actually, I didn’t get an opportunity.  I gave it away to my mom, so I let her have it.

PS: What did she buy with it?

BR: You know, I think she bought Christmas presents for my cousins.  I have a lot of cousins, so I think that’s what she spent it on.

PS: Was the Belk Bowl bittersweet for you?

BR: Absolutely.  There’s no other way to put it, but it just sucked.  It just kinda sucked all the life out of you, missing the first game in three years being the starting quarterback.  It really doesn’t sink until you’re sitting there in a Laz-Y-Boy with your arm in a sling on and can’t be out there with your friends and your buddies and teammates that you sweated and you did everything you could possibly do for the past five years and you couldn’t really go to battle with them.  It was definitely one of the hardest things I had to deal with mentally as an athlete to have your career end on that note.

PS: How difficult has it been to go from Coach Davis to Coach (Everett) Withers to Coach (Larry) Fedora?

BR: Over the last five years, I’ve had to deal with change and constant adversity and constant fluctuation within the coaching staff.  It’s been a challenge, but it has also been a lot of fun.  I would say it’s been more fun than it has been a challenge just because of the three men I’ve been able and lucky and blessed to deal with and how they’re all just different.

That’s gonna be the same case in the NFL when  there’s so many more changes in coaching staffs now and you have to able to adjust and adapt and still control the locker room and keeping everybody on the same page, because everyone’s a little different.  From Coach Davis who recruited me and Coach Withers who also somewhat recruited me to Coach Fedora, it was totally different with the mindsets, with the offenses, learning three different playbooks in five years.  It really challenged me as an athlete and also as a leader.

PS: What is James Madison getting in Coach Withers?  That seems like a monumentally huge hire for that program.

BR: Oh, they couldn’t have done a better job and growing up in Virginia and being around James Madison a lot, with the coaching staff that was there previously, I think it’s a huge upgrade.  They’re going from driving a Camry to driving a freakin Maserati.  It’s that big of a hire for them.  I think they will take the next step.  They were already good, but I think the type of man that he is and the type of coach that he is, is gonna take the next step for them as a program.

PS: What’s been your biggest takeaway from your time under Coach Fedora?

BR: Just his intensity.  We have similar personalities; very competitive.  I think we hit it off from the get go just refusing to lose.  He’s so competitive.  You see him on the sideline.  He can’t sit still.  And he’s just a great guy to be around and his offensive mind is something I learned a lot of, just a different scheme and a different way to think about things.  I think we both benefited from each other and it was just a pleasure to see a different side of football that I wasn’t used to and wasn’t really recruited to do.  When you’re learning the game, it’s a lot of fun.