UNC football secondary gets new top commander

Charlton Warren respected North Carolina head coach Larry Fedora from the moment he met him.

That was in 1997 — when Warren was a 20-year-old defensive back at the Air Force Academy and Fedora was the Falcons’ passing game coordinator. Fedora spent just two years in Colorado Springs, but Warren admired the coach’s focused and fiery demeanor long after he left.

So when Fedora came calling 18 years later, offering Warren the opportunity to become the Tar Heels’ new defensive backs coach, the 38-year-old couldn’t resist joining forces once again.

“He’s a coach you want to be around,” Warren said.

“Whatever he’s asking his assistants to be doing, to outwork him is going to be hard. And that’s the thing you love about him. It’s going to be hard to outwork your head coach.”

If anybody can, it’s Warren.

The new UNC assistant coach has been hailed for his relentless work ethic, and the proof is on the field.

In Warren’s lone season with Nebraska in 2014, the Huskers’ defense placed fourth in the nation in pass efficiency defense. And in his previous nine years coaching the secondary at Air Force — including six seasons as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator — his squad finished in the top six in the nation in pass defense three times, including second in 2010.

With such a pedigree of success, it’s no surprise that Fedora turned to his one-time player to change the culture of a struggling last line of defense.

“It started back when the announcement was made that we were making a change,” Fedora said. “There was just a sense of change and a sense of excitement.”

This season, Warren will be tasked with improving a defensive unit that ranked 101st in passing yards allowed and 115th in passing efficiency defense in 2014.

But for a secondary stacked with capable young talent, the difference between victory and defeat could come down to some old-fashioned, militaristic discipline.

“He’s a great technician,” said junior cornerback Brian Walker of his new leader. “We all have talent, but we all know it takes more than that to be successful at this level.

“He’s hard on us, and that’s what we all needed.”

Warren knew when he accepted the UNC job that his new secondary was in desperate need of focus and accountability.

So when it came time to drill the basic fundamentals, he employed a tough love approach.

“You set a standard, and if you don’t live up to that standard in any way, there (are) consequences to those actions,” Warren said. “You don’t get playing time until we do it the way we want it to be done.

“It’s good to try hard, but at some point you’ve got to produce.”

Warren is no stranger to production. Under his watch, the Falcons went to six bowl games during his nine-year coaching tenure.

In addition to his coaching success, the Air Force alumnus guided his alma matter to two straight 10-win seasons and their only outright conference title in 1998, when his teammates bestowed upon him the Mr. Intensity Award.

As a coach, Warren still hasn’t lost his fire.

“The whole defensive staff is bringing the energy,” said junior safety Dominquie Green. “We’re just receiving the energy off of them, and it’s pushing us.”

It’s the same energy that fueled another defensive back nearly two decades ago, when Fedora was the disciplinarian and Warren was the disciple.

“He leads these guys the right way,” said Warren of his former coach. “He makes sure they toe the line and do what he asks them to do.

“(Fedora) sets a standard for the coaches and the players,” he said.

It’s a standard that Warren is fit to maintain.

sports@dailytarheel.com