University of North Carolina Athletics
Aiken's Big Play Potential Coming Through
September 12, 2002 | Football
Sept. 12, 2002
By David Applegate
Athletic Communications
Senior wide receiver Sam Aiken walks softly and carries big-play potential. His nickname, Sleeper, is tattooed to his stomach. The word he chose that best describes him is quiet.
Aiken may be a quiet person, but on the gridiron his play speaks volumes.
Eight touchdowns, 789 yards receiving and average of 17.2 yards per catch in 2001 caught the attention of not only college football, but NFL scouts as well.
"Every time one of those guys are in town they are asking about him, and I only have great things to say," head coach John Bunting said. "He is such a special person and a special player."
Aiken is the first to admit that his 4.5-second 40-yard dash speed is not blazing, yet Gunter Brewer, his position coach at North Carolina, said he has something different - great stride.
His great stride was responsible for Carolina's three longest pass plays in 2001, with touchdown catches of 75, 72 and 66 yards.
"He concentrates on the little things and plays faster than his 40 time," Brewer said. "Jerry Rice, I think, ran a 4.65 coming out of college and he has a gazillion yards and a gazillion catches right now.
"You can play at the next level and at this level with 4.5 speed very easily. He just has to do the little things right to become a great player."
unting coached against Rice while an assistant in the NFL, and made his own comparison when asked.
"All Jerry Rice did is make plays, get open and then run after the catch," he said. "Sam has the same type of work ethic."
oth of his coaches agree that the 6-foot, 2-inch, 205 pound Aiken has the physical and mental tools and abilities to follow last year's group of six Carolina players chosen in the NFL draft.
"I don't think there is any doubt that he has the ability and the tools for the next level," Brewer said.
This season, his big-play potential was a bright spot on a rainy afternoon in Kenan Stadium when the Tar Heels fell to Miami (Ohio) 27-21. Aiken did his part - eight catches for 174 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown catch - but he was still not satisfied with his effort.
"I am not satisfied with my performance," he said. "There are things I know that I could have done, a tackle that I know I could have broken. I am very hard on myself, so my performance wasn't up to my expectations."
And this is where Aiken's greatest asset shines through.
"The best thing that Sam has is an overall attitude that makes him a winner from the get go, regardless of how big he is, how fast he is or what kind of hands he has," Brewer said. "By showing the players what it is like to go out and hold your head high even when things are not going your way. He remains positive even in defeat.
"He is always positive and doing and saying the right things. That lets you know that your program has produced someone that you will be proud of."
Aiken has the most experience of Carolina's core of receivers. This year's team is without Bosley Allen and Kory Bailey. This trio combined for 45-percent of the team's total offense in 2001, and this year's group of Aiken, Chesley Borders, Brandon Russell, Jarwarski Pollock and several others must fill the void.
Aiken said that he knows he must step up to help fill the shoes of Allen and Bailey.
"My role is as a leader." Aiken said. "I am more of a veteran of the receiving core. It really hasn't changed from last year. As long as I go out there and do my job, make plays and catch every ball that is thrown to me it really hasn't changed."
His coaches and teammates appreciate what Aiken brings to the program, from hard work to constant study of film. He is known for going all-out in practice, helping to push the team and set an example.
"Sometimes he will call me and we will watch the practice before, the routes we ran, the one-on-ones," said Borders, who starts opposite Aiken this year. "We will give him suggestions, and he will give us suggestions on what will be the best approach, the best time to run the route."
orders credited Aiken as a good blocker and a wealth of enthusiasm and information during games. The wide outs have an inside competition on who will catch the most balls, and who knocks down the most opponents while blocking. But first and foremost, he said that Aiken is their leader.
Top to bottom, the Carolina coaches like what they have in No. 88.
"He has the complete package. He has the height, a great stride, he makes the big plays and he is not afraid to go over the middle. He leads by example on the field and in the classroom," Brewer said.
"All of the things you would want your son or your daughter to be that is what he exemplifies on and off the field. Those are the things you not only look for in a kid, but also an athlete."
Aiken came to Carolina from James Kenan High School, a school of less than 600 students in Warsaw, N.C. - about 100 miles east of Chapel Hill on I-40. James Kenan High was named for the great-great grandfather of Frank H. Kenan, from who UNC's Kenan Stadium got its name.
Aiken, also a star track and basketball athlete, started his high school career as a quarterback and then shifted to tailback before settling in at wide receiver as a senior. That year, 1998, he scored 20 touchdowns while leading the James Kenan Tigers to an 11-2 record and the later rounds of the Carolina 1-A playoffs.
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"He is always positive and doing and saying the right things. That lets you know that your program has produced someone that you will be proud of."
- WR coach Gunter Brewer
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Coming out of a small high school, Aiken said he was not expected to be a star in his first collegiate camp in the fall of 1999.
"Other players were highly rated, and I was the underdog," Aiken said. "But I like being the underdog because they don't expect you to do great things. But, when you do great things, there is more applause for you coming from a smaller town."
Only one of four true freshman to play that season, Aiken went on to be named Co-Most Outstanding Freshman by the team, along with Julius Peppers, who will be donning a different Carolina uniform this fall for the Panthers.
Primarily used as a kick-returner, Aiken played in all 11 games, returning 13 kicks for 275 yards, and average of 21.2 per return. He also returned punts and caught three passes as a freshman.
As a sophomore the ball kept rolling for Aiken, as he finished third on the team with 29 catches for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Again, he starred on special teams averaging more than 20 yards per return on kicks.
His junior year, he had the second highest touchdown total (8) of any Tar Heel in history. His season got off to a slow start, with out finding pay dirt in any of the first three losses of the season. But then things took off, literally.
With just more than a minute remaining in the first quarter against Florida State, Aiken ran a crossing route from the left slot, caught a pass from Darian Durant and headed for the goal line. Nothing was going to stop him - not even Florida State safety Chris Hope. Hope hit a leaping Aiken at the 2-yard line, and Aiken flipped in the air but managed to hit the pylon for a 20-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Carolina lead in the eventual 41-9 upset. Aiken called the play the highlight of his athletic career.
"He is not just a star, he is a team player," Bunting said. "He works extremely hard in every single practice. He is a great run after the catch guy. He is your go to guy. When the ball gets in his hands things are going to happen."
Aiken made the transition from small-town star to big game hero in the Shrine Bowl. He started at square one, coming into North Carolina from a small high school football program. After this season he will again be the underdog, possibly fighting for a spot on an NFL roster.
His 2002 Carolina team will also face games this season as the underdog, against ranked opponents NC State, Florida State and Texas.
"Being the underdog motivates us as a whole team, to work extra hard in practice," Aiken said. "It gives us the urge to go out there and do what we know we can do."
Aiken shares in the source of motivation.
"The thing that gets me fired up is when I know that they will pick (an opponent) to beat us, that motivates me," he said. "I know as a individual what the University of North Carolina can do. I know how well our defense and our offense can do."
Players Mentioned
