University of North Carolina Athletics
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: Five Names To Remember
August 11, 2003 | Football
Aug. 11, 2003
By Adam Lucas
You won't read about Jupiter Wilson in any preseason feature stories. He's not on the cover of any magazines and his number 71 jersey won't be sold on Franklin Street.
That's just the way the soft-spoken big man likes it, though. He's getting plenty of attention where it counts--on the practice field, where the Tar Heels (except for cornerback Lionell Green, who arrived on Saturday and must go through the five-day acclimation period required by the NCAA) went full pads for the first time Sunday afternoon. What follows is a list of five players who have been largely ignored by the media and fans this preseason but may have a significant impact on the fortunes of the 2003 Tar Heels.
Jupiter Wilson, guard: Wilson is refreshingly candid about losing his starting spot after seven games last season to true freshman Kyle Ralph.
"My consistency wasn't there," he says. "I might have gotten a little complacent and I needed to get my edge back. I was playing up and down to my competition instead of at a consistent level. It was my fault that I lost the job and I'm doing my best to get it back."
It was a job that he held for 11 games as a sophomore in 2001, including the Peach Bowl. As a fifth-year senior, he's now locked in a battle with Ralph for the only undecided starting position along the offensive line. Wilson and Ralph have split repetitions with the first string through the first five days of practice, with neither holding a clear edge yet.
The winner of that competition will earn the starting nod against Florida State. The loser, though, will still see plenty of playing time.
"We are going to have a great three-guard rotation with Jupiter, Kyle Ralph, and Jeb Terry," John Bunting says. "Jupiter is in the best condition he's ever been in and is stronger than last year. From what I have seen he is going to compete like heck for that starting job."
Willie Parker, tailback: It has been an annual feature of the past couple spring practices that Parker looks ready to emerge as a feature back. Come fall, however, he has struggled to be as physical as Bunting would like and lost his starting job after just one game last season to Jacque Lewis.
So there was some understandable skepticism when Parker was one of the hits of spring ball this year. But he's continued that momentum this fall and while there still is a four-way battle for the starting job, the senior from Clinton has made it clear he's not giving up the position without a fight.
In the past, Parker had some success running on the perimeter, including a 77-yard touchdown dash against Maryland in 2001. But that success sometimes made him too eager to go outside instead of taking the tough yards up the middle, a trait he appears to have corrected after an offseason that resulted in him earning Super Ram status in the weight room.
"I think Willie is on a mission," Bunting said. "He looks extremely physical right now. He looks as good as I've seen him and is playing with a lot of confidence. He's taking the hole, he's not getting to the line of scrimmage and stuttering. He's taking what he sees, and I haven't seen him bounce a play [outside] yet."
Jarwarski Pollock, wide receiver: With all the talk about the trio of true freshman wide receivers and the departure of Sam Aiken and Chesley Borders, it's been easy to forget the receivers who are still hanging around. Pollock, a junior from Florida, remains one of Carolina's best big-play threats. He caught at least one pass in every game last year and averaged 15 yards per catch. The 5-foot-8 waterbug has earned praise from Bunting after nearly every practice so far, and offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill wants to make him a bigger part of the offense.
"If you have a good receiver, you get him the ball as much as you can in different ways," Tranquill said. "We don't have Sam Aiken this year, but we've got Jarwarski Pollock, who can make guys miss. So we're going to get him the ball somehow in a position to make guys miss."
Pollock should also make an impact on special teams. After taking over the punt-return role against Florida State, he returned five punts for 60 yards, easily the best average on the team.
Issac Mooring, defensive tackle: Mooring started the first three games of the season last year before breaking his hand in an off-the-field accident. The coaching staff moved him inside to defensive tackle in the spring, an experiment that worked out well for the senior from Tarboro.
"We told him at the time that we might wind up moving him back outside, but he did such a fine job and we were so pleased with him that we kept him inside," said Bunting, who called Mooring one of the top surprises of the spring.
With the loss of Donti Coats to a medical redshirt, the hope was that Mooring would anchor the interior of the 2003 line. However, a calf injury suffered in the weight room just before practice began has held him out of practice thus far.
In order to maximize his senior year contributions, Mooring needs to get on the field as soon as possible in order to fend off some of the younger players vying for time at defensive tackle.
"He's not helping himself right now," Bunting said. "We hope he can get well soon."
Tommy Davis, defensive end: Davis quietly put together a solid redshirt freshman campaign, stepping in for the injured Will Chapman and starting the final five games. After an impressive spring practice, he's now carrying 265 pounds and is holding onto the starting position at one end slot.
"I don't know a whole lot about what he can do day after day yet," Bunting said after practice Sunday night. "He's got a lot of grunt work to do. I want to see what he can do practice in, practice out as a starter."
What he did last year was notch 35 tackles, including one for loss. Although all the defensive line positions are up for grabs, he appears to have the tightest grip of any end on a starting spot.
The sophomore from Dudley, NC, isn't interested in accolades, however.
"As long as we win and I can help the team, I don't care if my name is ever in the paper," Davis said.
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.
