University of North Carolina Athletics
Wagstaff Weighs In
August 22, 2000 | Football
Aug. 22, 2000
y: Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue.com
TarHeelBlue: You look like you're the lightest you've been since you've been at Carolina. Is that right?
James Wagstaff: "Yes sir, I am. I'm lighter than I've been since my freshman year. I worked hard this summer so that I'd be in shape when practice began. I was here working out every day.
"I'm at about 348 pounds right now. This weight is fine, but I'd like to get it to about 340."
TarHeelBlue: How have you gotten your weight down?
James Wagstaff: "I've been eating the right things. Tausha Roberts, our nutritionist, took me to the grocery store and showed me all the things I could get and how to cut back on calories.
"For example, instead of getting ground beef, I'll get ground turkey. There's little things, like using light mayonaise, or no mayonaise at all.
"Whenever I buy something, I check out the calories on the package. I get skim milk cheese, plus I drink skim milk now. All of those things make a difference.
"She's also got me eating five times a day. Not five meals, but five feedings. That way, whenever I have my next meal, I won't feel like I'm starving and pig out. That's been a real big key for me.
"Another thing that helped was the running and working out with Bulldog (George Smith) over the summer."
TarHeelBlue: I don't mean to dwell on your weight, but what did you weigh when you got to Carolina?
James Wagstaff: "I came in at 349 pounds my freshman year, but when I reported this summer, I weighed about 378 pounds. I had my work cut out for me this summer. I worked really hard with Bulldog and Tausha.
"The main thing was to try to cut a little bit at a time. If I didn't lose a lot of weight at one time, I didn't get frustrated, because I knew it would come in time. That worked out well."
TarHeelBlue: Does the fact it's your final year help to motivate you?
James Wagstaff: "That is a great motivational tool.
"Another thing is Coach Caldwell coming in. I like him so much, and I just want to work for him. I wanted to lose the weight for him, myself and my family. It's my final year. I want to go out well and have a great season.
"I think Coach Caldwell can relate to me, he's a big man as well, so he knows how it is. He's willing to work with you on just about anything. I feel like he understands me.
"He called me last winter when he'd just got hired. He called me at my house and told me he was a big man himself, and that he understood about my weight. He gave me confidence that I could lose weight. He told me to develop a process to do it over a couple of months, that I couldn't just do it over night.
"He gave me the confidence to do it. He's a really good motivator. This was the hardest preseason that we've had, but it's also been the most fun. I just want to practice for him. He's a great coach, plus he's a really funny guy."
TarHeelBlue: Did you play both ways in high school?
James Wagstaff: "My sophomore year I just played defense, then my junior year I played both ways. I was on defense my senior year, but I got hurt in my third game and couldn't play anymore."
TarHeelBlue: When you were recruited here, did you know you would be playing on offense?
James Wagstaff: "Yes. When I camped here prior to my senior year, I worked mostly with Coach (Eddie) Williamson, so I knew then they wanted me for the offensive line."
TarHeelBlue: Didn't you used to be on the track team?
James Wagstaff: "I wasn't this past season, but I was two years ago. I finished second in the shot put in the 1998 ACC outdoor meet. That throw was the fourth best in UNC history, so I'm pretty proud of that."
TarHeelBlue: Which are you more comfortable with, pass blocking or run blocking?
James Wagstaff: "I like run blocking because it's like you're right there trying to get your man. In pass blocking, it's kind of like you're on an island. It's like the guards and the center are together, then you have the tackle who is outside on an island.
"I like both of them, but I'm probably better with my pass blocking."
TarHeelBlue: I understand you've stopped Peppers a couple of times lately in your one-on-one drills.
James Wagstaff: "(Laughing) Yea, that's true. I stopped him once and he called me back and said, 'Let's run it back.' So we did it again, and I stopped him again. That helped my confidence a lot, because Pep is a great player.
"He's so quick and so strong. I call him a physical specimen."
TarHeelBlue: What's the toughest part of practice. Is there some part you just hate?
James Wagstaff: "I joke around with my teammates, but I think some of them will agree. The toughest part is the stretching before practice.
"You know during two-a-days your body is really sore. When you're doing that stretching, it hurts, but once you're through with that you're ready for practice."
TarHeelBlue: Will you graduate in December?
James Wagstaff: "I'll get my degree in May. I've just got to take one class in the spring. I'm basically finished after this semester. I'm really proud that I'll be getting a degree."
TarHeelBlue: The offensive line has received a lot of criticism in the past few years. Do you guys feel like you have something to prove this season?
James Wagstaff: "I think we're real confident, we know what we can do now. We know that everybody is going to look at us.
"We're very confident. We just want to play this first game and show everyone how much improvement we've made.
"We're going to look a lot different this year. The schemes and the new offense have everyone more comfortable and confident in themselves.
"We believe in Coach O'Cain and Coach Caldwell."
