Countdown To Kickoff: Noting The Tar Heels

Lewis' Offseason Conditioning Brings High Praise

August 6, 2003 | Football

By: UNC Athletic Communications

Aug. 6, 2003

Players Report To Campus
The University of North Carolina welcomed 104 football players to campus on Tuesday afternoon, including 21 scholarship freshmen, as the Tar Heels begin preparations for the 2003 season. After checking into Avery Dorm, where the football players will be housed for duration of training camp, Carolina held a series of team meetings that lasted into the early evening.

"We're excited to have everyone here and I can't wait to get out on the field on Wednesday," said head coach John Bunting. "This is the most exciting time of the year."

New NCAA regulations put into effect for the 2003 season require all players to report to campus on the same day. In previous years, freshmen would report a few days early and go through two practices on their own before the upperclassmen reported to campus. Now, all players will practice together on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

In addition, the NCAA mandated the elimination of consecutive two-a-day practices. All schools will have 29 practive opportunities prior to their first game, but no team may practice twice in one day on back-to-back days. Carolina will practice once each day for the first five days of training camp and will hold its first multiple practice session on Monday, August 11th.

Practice Schedule
*Note: all practices are closed to the public
Wednesday, August 6 - Practice, 5:30-6:30 (Navy fields)
Thursday, August 7 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields)
Friday, August 8 - Media Photo Day; Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields)
Saturday, August 9 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields)
Sunday, August 10 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields, first day in full pads)
Monday, August 11 - Practice, 9:30-11:50 a.m.; 7-9:30 p.m. (Navy fields)
Tuesday, August 12 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields)
Wednesday, August 13 - Practice, 9:30-11:50 a.m.; 7-9:30 p.m. (Navy fields)
Thursday, August 14 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Kenan)
Friday, August 15 - Practice, 9:30-11:50 a.m.; 7-9:30 p.m. (Navy fields)
Saturday, August 16 - Practice, 2:15-5:15 p.m. (Kenan); Meet the Heels Fan Appreciation Day, 7-8:30 p.m. (Kenan)
Sunday, August 17 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields)
Monday, August 18 - Practice, 9:30-11:50 a.m.; 7-9:30 p.m. (Navy fields)
Tuesday, August 19 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields)
Wednesday, August 20 - Practice, 9:30-11:50 a.m.; 7-9 p.m. (Kenan)
Thursday, August 21 - Practice, 4-7 p.m. (Navy fields)
Friday, August 22 - Practice, 9:30-11:50 a.m.; 7-9:30 p.m. (Navy fields)
Saturday, August 23 - Practice, 10:30-1 p.m. (Kenan)

Notes

Four players Carolina signed in February - Marcus Hands, Terry Hunter, Khalif Mitchell and Kenny Price - did not report to campus on Tuesday. All four plan to attend a prep school this fall.

Carolina returns all five starters on the offensive line for the first time since 1996, including center Jason Brown, guards Jeb Terry and Kyle Ralph and tackles Skip Seagraves and Willie McNeill. Senior Jupiter Wilson, who started the first seven games of the 2002 season at guard is also back.

Carolina returns 48 lettermen - 21 offensive, 23 defensive, four special teams - in 2003, the most since 1991.

Seven starters return on offense, the most-ever under head coach John Bunting and the most at UNC since the 1999 season.

Carolina returns eight starters on defense, the most since the 2000 season.

Over the last two years, Carolina's high-powered passing attack has averaged 253.0 yards per game. Carolina set a single-season school record last season with 266.6 yards passing per game.

Carolina's offense has averaged at least 350 yards per game in nine of the last 11 seasons, including last year's 369.1 yards per game, the highest since 1997.

In 2003, Carolina returns its top tackler (Dexter Reid), top passer (Darian Durant), top two rushers (Jacque Lewis, Willie Parker), and top receiving tight end (Bobby Blizzard).

Nineteen players who started at least one game last fall are slated to return in 2003.

Under head coach John Bunting, Carolina's schedule has been ranked as one of the nation's 20 toughest in each of the last two years. The 2003 schedule features more bowl teams (10) than Carolina has ever faced in a season.