University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Show Speed In Football Conditioning Tests
March 10, 2003 | Football
March 10, 2003
Top 10 40-Yard Dash | Top 10 Squat | Top 10 Vertical Jumps | Top 10 Bench Press | Top 10 Power Clean
by Adam Lucas
Tar Heel Monthly
Jeff Connors hands over the results of Carolina's winter testing in the 40-yard dash with a hint of regret.
As the strength and conditioning coach for Tar Heel football, he's well aware that 40 times are among the most exaggerated statistics in college football. So he knows exactly what the reaction is going to be to Carolina's results: disbelief.
That's what happens when a team turns in a top 10 in which the worst time of the bunch is a blistering 4.44.
"Oh, I know what people are going to say," Connors says. "I know what they're going to say because I said the same thing when they were running these times."
The Tar Heels ran their 40's last Thursday afternoon after Carolina's pro day at the Eddie Smith Indoor Facility. Indoor times are traditionally faster than outdoor times, and the Mondo surface at UNC's facility is known for producing blistering times-most pro scouts add a tenth of a second to Mondo times in order to arrive at a "true" time.
But even that couldn't prepare Connors for what he saw after cornerback Jacoby Watkins thundered down the track in 4.21 seconds.
"I saw that time and I had to get Coach [running backs coach Andre] Powell over there to hold the stopwatch," Connors says. "And then he did it again."
When he did it again, Watkins was just as fast as he was on the first test. That puts him in some lightning-quick company at the cornerback spot. Carolina inked a junior college prospect, Lionell Green, on signing day, with some observers expecting him to immediately come in and seize a starting spot. But if the 40 numbers translate into coverage ability, it's not going to be quite that easy. The top three numbers on the chart belong to cornerbacks who are already in the program-Watkins, Michael Waddell's 4.29, and Cedric Holt's 4.30.
Just as the top half of the top 10 is dominated by defensive backs (Dexter Reid placed fifth with a 4.32), the bottom half of the list includes some eye-opening figures for Tar Heel running backs. Jacque Lewis's speed was already well-known, but Chad Scott sprinted 40 yards in 4.35 and Willie Parker posted a 4.37.
"The vertical jump and the 40 are the two things that a lot of times naturally gifted athletes can do well," Connors says. "With no training at all, you usually look at those two things to see what type of potential an athlete has. They are improvable, but you always like to see an athlete have those attributes first and add the other attributes to that. The vertical jump and the 40 indicate a high level of power output, which is what you need for the game."
Moving from the fleet to the forceful, Jason Brown continued to rewrite most of Carolina's strength records by setting a new squat mark at 710 pounds.
"Jason Brown is a beast," Connors says. "He has all the tools."
"With J. Brown, it's hard to believe that the strongest can get even stronger," says senior Jeb Terry. "Coach Connors calls him the Beast of the East. That's how it's been, with people working hard. The guys who need to get stronger have. I can't even describe the amount of increases that we've had."
Sure, the offensive linemen are supposed to be powerful, and the cornerbacks are supposed to be speedy, but one of the most pleasant surprises of the winter has been a player at neither of those spots-quarterback Darian Durant.
After a record-breaking sophomore season that was trimmed by an untimely hand injury, Durant has been impressive in the offseason.
"I really feel good about Darian Durant right now," Connors says. "He ran a 4.6 40 and he also had a good vertical jump. He bench-pressed 360 pounds. He had a really good winter and has improved his speed and power."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
