Tag: Storm Duck

Penn State officially announces addition of Storm Duck

Penn State officially announces addition of transfer DB Storm Duck from UNC

As classes return to being in session for the winter in State College, Penn State is officially welcoming some of its newest members of the football program to the fold. Among the latest additions by way of the transfer portal is Storm Duck, who committed to Penn State from the transfer portal after leaving the University of North Carolina.

Duck committed to Penn State on Dec. 28, 2022 and was officially welcomed to the program on Monday.

In 12 games for the Tar Heels this past season, Duck recorded 46 tackles, including 36 solo tackles and one tackle for a loss, forced one fumble, and intercepted three passes. His addition will be an immediate boost to the depth chart as Penn State is set to lose Joey Porter Jr. early to the NFL draft in 2023.

Duck will be a graduate transfer upon his arrival in State College. He will have one final year of eligibility at his disposal with the Nittany Lions (he is also eligible for a sixth year from the NCAA due to the pandemic-stricken 2020 season if he chooses to take advantage of it).

Duck was a three-star recruit in North Carolina’s Class of 2019. The South Carolina native committed to the Tar Heels over offers from West Virginia, Temple, Appalachian State, Army, and a handful of FCS programs. Penn State was not among the schools listed by 247Sports as interested in his high school recruiting process.

[vertical-gallery id=27974]

[listicle id=28148]

[lawrence-related id=28556,28554,28552,28506]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Best photos of Penn State’s newest transfer addition, Storm Duck

The best photos of Penn State’s newest addition to the football roster from the transfer portal

Penn State’s depth in the defensive backfield was given a needed boost with the addition of [autotag]Storm Duck[/autotag]. Duck announced his commitment to Penn State out of the transfer portal after four years with North Carolina. The grad transfer will help fill the void left by Joey Porter Jr., who is leaving Penn State with eligibility on the table to pursue his NFL dreams.

Duck was a solid player for North Carolina, when healthy, and his experience will be relied on to help provide some stability in the defensive back position in State College in 2023.

Here are some of the best photos of the newest Nittany Lion from his time playing with the Tar Heels.

Former UNC cornerback announces transfer commitment to Penn State

Former North Carolina defensive back Storm Duck has announced his commitment to Penn State

The region has gone through some tough weather conditions lately, but there appears to be another storm incoming. Or rather, a Storm Duck. [autotag]Storm Duck[/autotag], a former defensive back from North Carolina, announced on his Twitter account on Wednesday he has committed to Penn State out of the transfer portal.

In 12 games for the Tar Heels this past season, Duck recorded 46 tackles, including 36 solo tackles and one tackle for a loss, forced one fumble and intercepted three passes. His addition will be an immediate boost to the depth chart as Penn State is set to lose Joey Porter Jr. early to the NFL draft in 2023.

Duck will be a graduate transfer upon his arrival in State College. He will have one final year of eligibility at his disposal with the Nittany Lions (he is also eligible for a sixth year from the NCAA due to the pandemic-stricken 2020 season if he chooses to take advantage of it).

Duck was a three-star recruit in North Carolina’s Class of 2019. The South Carolina native committed to the Tar Heels over offers from West Virginia, Temple, Appalachian State, Army, and a handful of FCS programs. Penn State was not among the schools listed by 247Sports as an interest in his high school recruiting process.

Penn State could still be on the lookout for some help from the transfer portal, especially on the offensive line and in the wide receiver department. Penn State could also be scouting the best available options still remaining in the recruiting process leading up to the traditional national signing day in February.

[vertical-gallery id=27974]

[listicle id=27803]

[lawrence-related id=27941,27931,27925,27876,27874]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01ey902ehrs6e9bvhw player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Follow Kevin McGuire on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

UNC secondary continues with inconsistent play despite win over Florida A&M

The UNC football secondary continued its inconsistent play from a year ago on Saturday and despite the win over Florida A&M, has to improve.

The UNC football program got its 2022 season off on the right note with a 56-24 win over Florida A&M on Saturday night, but it didn’t come without any concern.

Coming into the season, the UNC secondary was a question mark. Not due to the talent level, but due to the injury concerns and the inconsistent play that has plagued that unit for much of the past few years.

Add on top of that a new defensive coordinator and a new defensive backs coach. On Saturday, it definitely showed.

Florida A&M’s quarterback Jeremy Moussa threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns. While the Tar Heels’ secondary did pick off Moussa once, it also gave up a 73.7 completion rate.

While one of the touchdowns from Moussa came on a wheel route to running back AJ Davis — defended by linebacker [autotag]Chris Collins[/autotag] — the other came against defensive back [autotag]Dontae Balfour[/autotag]. It was a 22-yard strike where wideout Trevonte Davis got behind Balfour and Moussa placed a perfect ball.

The Tar Heels finished with three sacks, but overall the defensive pressure wasn’t there much of the night. It was a problem the Tar Heels struggled with last season and thus, contributed to the inconsistent play of the secondary. That and a lack of consistent tackling was something that stood out to UNC head coach Mack Brown.

“We didn’t tackle well early, which is usually the case in your opening ballgame because you have trouble tackling a lot in preseason,” Brown said postgame. “… they were 3-for-3 (in the redzone for touchdowns). So we’ve got to do a better job defensively in the red zone situations.”

Part of the lackluster effort could’ve been contributed to the early exit of talented junior cornerback [autotag]Tony Grimes[/autotag]. Grimes left early in the game with an ‘upper body’ injury and didn’t return.

Balfour led the defensive backs with six tackles while [autotag]Storm Duck[/autotag] had the lone interception on the night. Sophomore [autotag]DeAndre Boykins[/autotag] flashed his potential with four tackles and a fumble recovery.

Overall, regardless of the moving pieces, the secondary definitely delivered a lackluster performance. Moving forward it’s something that needs to be cleaned up and should.

“If you look at it, Storm Duck hadn’t played in a long time. Dontae Balfour hadn’t played. So there are a lot of guys out there that hadn’t played,” Brown said. “Noah Taylor we’d never seen. So three sacks is good. We expect more. And I do think that we’ve got some work to do. But defensive staffs never had a game together. Coaches that hadn’t called defenses for five years. So I will I think we’ll all see a tremendous amount of improvement in a short time. Because I knew they weren’t very happy there in that late second quarter either.”

North Carolina gets another crack to take a step forward with its defensive performance next weekend against a talented Appalachian State team on the road.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

UNC defensive keys to the game against Florida A&M

A look at the defensive keys to the game for UNC football when it takes on Florida A&M in its season opener on Saturday.

The UNC football program gets its 2022 season underway on Saturday as it welcomes Florida A&M into Kenan Stadium.

After a 2021 season that failed to meet expectations, 2022 rolls around with a different level of expectations.

While the offensive unit has a lot of new faces and new roles for returning players, the defensive unit returns a lot of experienced players looking to bounce back from a 2021 season un which that unit struggled.

Gene Chizik and Charlton Warren come to Chapel Hill as the new faces of the defense and both look to improve a defensive unit that did not play up to its potential last season.

Watch and stream the game live on ESPN+

UNC dropped from 68th to 99th overall in defensive efficiency in the last three years under former coordinator Jay Bateman, so formulating a defensive unit that can be effective and live up to its potential will be key.

So, here are the keys on the defensive end for UNC’s game against Florida A&M.

What UNC DB Storm Duck said before Week 0

We take a look at some quotes from UNC defensive back Storm Duck ahead of Week 0 for the Tar Heels.

The 2022 UNC football season is right around the corner as Mack Brown’s team will open up at home next Saturday against Florida A&M. With not as high expectations this year, the Tar Heels could be a team that surprises many this year.

And one key to that would be good play from the secondary.

The Tar Heels are set to welcome back a key piece of that secondary as [autotag]Storm Duck[/autotag] returns after suffering injuries in each of the two previous seasons. Duck says he’s 100% healthy going into this year and he makes up a key part to their secondary under Gene Chizik.

Ahead of Week 0, Duck met the UNC media including Tar Heels Wire to talk about his injuries, how he’s feeling and the competition in the secondary.

Here is some of what he said to the media in Thursday’s presser.

 

UNC DB Storm Duck feeling 100% going into the season

Defensive back Storm Duck took answers from the media about his return to the field and goals for the upcoming season.

North Carolina defensive back [autotag]Storm Duck[/autotag] is looking to bounce back this season after battling injuries in each of the two previous seasons.

After a breakout year in 2019, Duck battled injuries in 2020 and 2021, missing significant time at UNC. He showed promise as being a defensive back the Tar Heels could rely on but with the injuries, the former three-star recruits’ career was delayed.

Now, going into the 2022 season Duck says he’s not only confident but 100 percent healthy.

“Yeah. Over the last two years, been hard mentally, but you know, I’m over that, over that home now,” Duck said on Thursday. “And I’m feeling, you know, mentally a hundred percent confident, physically, a hundred percent confident since I’ve gotten back, started playing, you know, getting back in the routine, getting back, you know, technique wise, doing extra work after practice and, you know, just building confidence and watching film and learning schemes and know different things like that. Route concepts, I’m feeling, feeling really good.”

Duck is expected to be one of North Carolina’s top defensive backs this season along with Tony Grimes. If both can stay healthy, it will help answer some of the questions UNC has in their secondary.

And that would be great news for new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik in his return to the Tar Heels.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

UNC cornerback Storm Duck has ‘star potential’

UNC football cornerback Storm Duck has ‘star potential’ heading into the 2022 season for the Tar Heels.

The UNC football secondary is an underrated part of the Tar Heels’ team, especially with the the talent that is returning.

One of those players is [autotag]Storm Duck[/autotag]. Duck, a junior, is coming off back-to-back years hindered by injuries. As a freshman, he showed great promise recording 37 tackles and two interceptions.

This season, Duck is expected to take another step in his development and has ‘star potential’, according to Pro Football Focus.

“Across 530 snaps as a true freshman in 2019, Duck recorded a 78.7 PFF grade — a top-12 mark among Power Five true freshmen in the PFF College era (since 2014). That puts him in the company of several stars, including 2022 first-round picks Derek Stingley Jr., Kaiir Elam and Trent McDuffie and NFL talents Adoree’ Jackson, Carlton Davis and Patrick Surtain II. Unfortunately, injury has halted Duck’s progression since then. He played just 436 snaps the past two seasons combined but still shined when on the field. If fully healthy, Duck has star potential.”

Duck is ranked as the No. 12 returning cornerback heading into 2022.

Along with Duck and Tony Grimes, Don Chapman, Ladaeson Hollins and Obi Egbuna are some of the other notable returning defensive backs for the Tar Heels.

Grimes was listed as a breakout candidate this season as well.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.