University of North Carolina Athletics
Game Program Profile: James Wagstaff
September 23, 2000 | Football
Sept. 23, 2000
By Jason Owens
Sports Information Student Assistant
He's big -- real big. He has tattoos. He plays one of the toughest positions in football. He's also one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. He's James Wagstaff --Wags -- Carolina's starting right tackle on the offensive line.
The first time I ever heard of Wags was my sophomore year of high school at East Mecklenburg on the cozy southeast side of Charlotte. It was shortly before the first home football game when I heard we had a player standing over six feet, three inches and weighing over 350 pounds.
Hold on a second- this is high school football, not the National Football League. Guys like this don't exist in high school football. Guys like this don't exist in college football. I chalked it up to preseason hype.
Friday night came along, and I put on my band uniform-yes, I was a band dork (sorry Marching Tar Heels)- excited about my first game as a high school student. It was a hot, waning summer night, as all the season openers turned out to be. When I went out on the field to play the Eagles fight song for the team introduction, I tried to get a glimpse of the player I had heard so much about, but wasn't able to find him. We made our way to the creaky, wooden bleachers right before kickoff and I scanned the sideline, again looking for the famed high school junior. WHOA!!!- there he was- just as big as his reputation.
Now, six years later, Wags is still known for his immense size. His coaches, friends, teammates and fans look beyond the 350 pounds, though, to find a man with work ethic, talent, leadership and a warm heart. Oh yeah- I almost forgot- he's a pretty good football player too.
Wags won't talk too much about the strides he's made this season, overcoming a weight problem and a disappointing junior year in which he played in only three games after starting in 11 the previous season. You have to find out about his changes from those who have struggled with him to improve a Tar Heel offense that ranked near the bottom of the ACC in nearly every category last year to become potentially one of the most explosive squads in the conference.
"James has just decided he wants to do it," offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell said. "The good Lord gave him size all of us didn't get. He has talent, he has a good mind. There's no reason, with hard work, that he can't be an NFL player. There's a lot of them in the NFL that aren't as good as he. The thing I like about James is he's more interested right now in the Tar Heels winning."
Wags, who at one time weighed in the 380s, worked on a special training program and diet in the off-season to lose weight and gain confidence. It paid off. He is down to 347 pounds and was named ACC offensive lineman of the week for his performance in the season opener against Tulsa, a 30-9 victory for the Tar Heels. For his contribution to the opening game victory, head coach Carl Torbush named Wags a co-captain for the Week Two game against Wake Forest. Wags credits his training program and new diet, directed by sports nutritionist Tausha Robertson, with boosting his health and his game.
"It was the refocus and dedication I had this summer," he said. "In the spring when Coach Caldwell came, I decided to meet with a nutritionist. Tausha worked with me- she taught me the right things to eat. With the things I was doing in the weight room, I was able to lose the weight."
Wags' diet is having an effect on more than his waistline. Senior tackle Louis Marchetti, who mans the left side of the offensive line has noticed a big difference in his game.
"He's still as strong as ever," Marchetti said. "He's quicker, a ton quicker. If a guy slants, he's there these days. It used to be it would take him a bit longer. I think he feels a lot better about himself. He feels good about himself."
Wags didn't have to tackle his weight problem alone. Coach Caldwell and other players joined him in the quest to get fit.
"He had a tough year last year," Caldwell said. "He had a weight problem. I can relate to that. I've got one too. He's done everything I've asked. Coach (George) Smith started `fat man aerobics.' James, myself and several others were in there at six o'clock in the morning and tried to get our metabolism going. He's been a joy to work with."
Wags, who doesn't seem to care about personal accolades, gives the credit for his, and the team's success, to everybody else.
"Coach Caldwell's a great coach," Wagstaff said. "He just brought a new fire to us. He's teaching us a lot about playing on the offensive line, being able to be poised."
Wags downplayed the lack of recognition that he and the other offensive linemen get, claiming that a good team performance is their reward for doing well.
"It's just something that comes with our job," he said. "As long as we can get (other players) to have great games, we're happy with that. As long as I did my job and was able to spring somebody for a long run and they call his name, I'm proud of that."
Off the field, Wags is, as Coach Caldwell describes him, a gentle giant. He talks and laughs with his teammates and is friendly with almost everybody. He flashes a big grin and speaks in soft tones with whomever he is with.
"Whenever they first brought us in, everybody just laughed at how big a man he was and how light his voice was," said fellow senior offensive lineman Cam Holland. "I consider him probably my best friend on the team."
Wags said he loves kids and would like to work with children one day after he's through playing football. He's a family man who likes to cook out with his younger cousins in New York and spend time with his mom and dad in Charlotte. He likes people and doesn't want them to be intimidated by his size.
"I'm a humble and down to earth guy," he said. "I'm very approachable. I know some people that say they know me sometimes, but don't speak to me on campus. I'm not going to scare them away or anything like that. I'm a very open and approachable guy."
Note to opponents: This doesn't apply to you.
Wags knows when it's time to get down in the dirt and knock some heads. Marchetti made it clear that Wags' gentle nature doesn't find its way onto the field.
"He's gotten more aggressive," Marchetti said. "He can be the nicest guy when he's walking on the street, but when he's out there on the field he's out there to kill the opponent. He's got it this year. He's got it a lot more than he did in the past, and I think that's helped him out.
Wags and the rest of the Tar Heels have a big challenge in front of them. They are on a quest to erase the memories of last year's 3-8 season and catapult themselves back into bowl contention. Wags is playing a major role in that journey. That's a lot to handle for someone who spends the rest of his time throwing the shot put for the track team, studying to get a degree in African-American studies and preparing himself to get ready for the NFL.
With all that, he still finds time to be a regular guy who likes to watch movies, go out dancing and hang out with his friends.
He really is a regular guy -- except on Saturdays.
Players Mentioned
