University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Hunter a Happy Heel
December 27, 2004 | Football
Dec. 27, 2004
By Adam Lucas
The questions became part of John Bunting's regular August routine.
Go through a session of spring practice. Stand at the Kenan Stadium tunnel near the Carolina locker room to answer questions from reporters. At some point, field the following query: "Coach, can you update us on Terry Hunter?"
Before ever pulling on his white number-91 practice jersey, Hunter was one of the most talked-about Tar Heels in recent memory. He played a position of need, defensive line. He was a local product, having starred at East Wake High before moving on to Hargrave Military Academy.
But unlike fellow Hargrave product Khalif Mitchell, he did not star in Carolina's spring game this past April. He did not report with the rest of the squad on August 8. Virtually every day between August 8 and August 24, Bunting answered questions about the prize recruit. The player, meanwhile, wasn't sure he'd ever play football again.
"At the beginning of the season, I didn't even know if I wanted to keep playing football," Hunter said after a recent practice. "But working with the coaches and doing the things I needed to do, it's been a big turnaround in my life. I feel so much better about what I'm doing now and I've got my head back on straight."
Once Hunter reported, on August 24, his easygoing nature immediately impressed those around the Tar Heel football program. He gained a reputation as one of the widest-smiling Heels. And, oh yeah, he began to play a little football.
He first showed up in the game statistics in the Louisville game, a forgettable 34-0 debacle. He didn't make a tackle, and his name was only visible buried in the "participation" part of the box score.
His first three tackles came, fittingly, against in-state rival NC State, a school that tried to recruit him. He posted three tackles on the evening, including one tackle for loss. By the Duke game a little over a month later, he'd become an essential part of the defensive line rotation.
Even with an assortment of injuries along the defensive front, Hunter's rise up the depth chart surprised even his head coach. After missing all the preseason conditioning work, it seemed unlikely that the 6-foot-4, 270-pound freshman could work his way into game shape. But there he was, chasing down ballcarriers.
"He's making a lot of progress," Bunting said. "He has a lot of things to learn in terms of how to do things the right way every single day on and off the field. But he's making progress. He has a tremendous, tremendous amount of potential and I wouldn't want to waste a bit of it if I was him."
Hunter has tried to continue that progress during bowl preparation. Before the team began bowl week practices in Charlotte, he worked out with Carolina's "Group II," which meant 30 extra minutes of more personalized instruction on the Chapel Hill practice field.
That's where he impressed offensive lineman Scott Lenahan, a fellow Group II member who works against him during line drills.
"Terry Hunter is going to be really good," Lenahan said. "He's made so much improvement. He wasn't here in the summer and didn't come to camp. But then he starts rotating in and holding his own."
"I've worked on my footwork, my pass rushing moves, and reading o-lineman keys," Hunter said. "I'm trying to learn moves to get off the blocks faster. In that second group, we've worked a lot on fundamentals. We get a lot more reps so it really makes you get into shape. Even though we didn't do it for long, I can already feel a change in my body. I'm getting more agile."
And he's discovered a place where no one wants to ask questions--the football field. To date, he's chosen to keep his offseason issues private.
But there's one part of the situation he doesn't mind talking about: his improved relationship with his coaches.
"All the coaches here have supported me so much and let me know they'd be there for me if I ever needed anything," he said. "I formed a bond with those coaches. I'm really having fun."
"I can't tell you how many meetings I've had with him," Bunting said. "I loved coaching pro football and I loved winning and shooting for the Super Bowl every year. But I also enjoyed coaching Division III football. And you get that same enjoyment here you got in D-III football, and that's helping young guys grow up. That's why I'm in this business."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. His book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about the book, click here.
