CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina opens the season in Atlanta to take on Louisiana State on Sept. 4.
That much, UNC coach Butch Davis knows for sure. But will defensive tackle Marvin Austin or wide receiver Greg Little be cleared by the NCAA to play against LSU? Will T.J. Yates be the starting quarterback?
Davis could answer neither of those questions on Thursday, and he declined to comment on the relationship between agent Gary Wichard and associate head coach John Blake, who has become involved with the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program, according to Wichard.
At Thursday's scheduled media day, which featured an unscheduled statement from athletic director Dick Baddour on the status of the NCAA investigation, Davis offered his most extensive comments on Austin and Little since the NCAA interviewed the senior stars in mid-July about possible improper contact with an agent.
"They've taken a great approach, from a mental standpoint," Davis said. "There are things that are clearly out of their control. The only thing that they can do is to be prepared, to practice as if none of this was going on."
Baddour said there was no timetable for the NCAA's decision. The school understands the concerns of its public "constituents," but UNC has offered the NCAA its full cooperation, Baddour said. That means, according to the UNC AD, that he cannot comment on the details of the case in order to "protect the integrity" of the investigation.
Austin and Little both practiced with the second team on Thursday in the portion of practice that was open to the media and have been regularly working with the second team since camp opened on Aug. 6.
Davis said, "we're not at that point yet" where he has to make a decision about Austin or Little's status with the first team.
He also raised the possibility that redshirt freshman Bryn Renner could start in the opener vs. LSU, or that both Yates and Renner could play in a quarterback rotation.
Davis said Yates and Renner have both run the first-team offense in practice.
"We might want to try to play two quarterbacks," Davis said, adding that he was "adamantly against" using a series-by-series rotation.
Yates, who has 31 career starts in three seasons, said alternating reps in practice is not new. He and Cam Sexton used to do the same thing when Sexton was with the team in 2007 and 2008.
Yates said he was confident he would still be the starter for the opener. He said he wouldn't be crazy about sharing game reps with Renner, whose only college experience was the spring game.
"I wouldn't like it, but whatever Coach Davis feels is right, I've got to go with it," Yates said.
Davis praised Yates' experience and Renner's athletic ability, particularly his arm strength and the competitive spirit of both.
"I love the way they are pushing each other and the way they are encouraging each other," Davis said.
The fourth-year coach had less to say about Blake, who has emerged as a potential figure in the NCAA investigation. Blake is a longtime acquaintance of Wichard's and worked for the agent's Pro Tect Management firm after Oklahoma fired Blake in 1998. One of Wichard's clients in the NFL is former UNC defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer, who plays now for the San Francisco 49ers.
Former UNC defensive lineman Cam Thomas said earlier this week that Balmer paid for Austin and him to travel to a training facility in California before the 2009 season, a potential NCAA violation.
Asked if there was any question or concern about Blake's relationship with Wichard, Davis said, "No."
Davis then added, "I'm not talking about any of the things that have anything to do with this [NCAA] review."
Davis did talk about Austin's potential replacement at defensive tackle. In practice, junior Quinton Coples has been moved from defensive end to tackle with the first team. Junior Michael McAdoo has gone from Robert Quinn's backup at right defensive end to the starter on the left side.
Coples has the size at 6 feet 6 and 275 pounds to make the transition to the inside, Davis said.
Davis also said Coples has impressed him with "his unselfishness and his willingness to accept this as his potential role on this football team."
