University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Wilson Makes Right Move
August 30, 2006 | Football
Aug. 30, 2006
By Adam Lucas
It only took one play for E.J. Wilson to convince Marvin Sanders he was worthy of being recruited.
It's just that the play took place on the hardwood, not on the gridiron.
When college football coaches go recruiting, they're as likely to watch a prep track meet or basketball game as they are anything related to football. By the time the college football season is over, most of the best prep athletes have moved on to their second sport. So when college coaches go recruiting during the winter, it takes a keen eye to interpret what they see in another sport and project it to football.
Sanders was sitting in the stands watching a basketball game at Brunswick High in Lawrenceville, Va., when he saw a play that convinced him he was watching a future Tar Heel.
"I saw him get a rebound, dribble down the court, and dunk with two hands," the Carolina defensive coordinator says. "I thought, `If I can get him to come to Carolina, I want him on defense.'"
He got him--eventually. And after a circuitous route to the position, Wilson is poised to provide quality depth at a position that has been a Carolina bugaboo ever since the departure of Julius Peppers.
The redshirt freshman won't be in the starting lineup Saturday against Rutgers. But you'll see him trotting on the field in sporadic bursts, combining with Bowen Chapman to spell more seasoned ends Hilee Taylor, Brian Rackley, and Melik Brown. It's a quintet that has generated significant pressure on the quarterback throughout training camp. Now they have to do it against an outside opponent.
"We've been working on takeoff, pad level, and using our hands to get an offensive player's pressure points to find out how to attack them," Wilson says. "I've learned a lot about how you can tell whether to go inside or outside against a guy."
He's learned a lot, period. His 6-foot-2, 260-pound frame is the perfect versatile football body. He was an all-district wide receiver and defensive back in high school, played tight end upon arrival at Carolina, and was moved to fullback this spring. His tour of the practice field finally stopped, however, when he was moved to end after spring practice.
"I questioned his toughness a little bit," Sanders says. "It's a different mentality going from running around looking at the quarterback to playing with your head down in the trenches. That's what I questioned. But he has proven he's not afraid. He has great athletic ability--great athletic ability."
But plenty of players with great athletic ability have fizzled. What's hastened Wilson's climb up the depth chart is the way he's combined raw talent with a constant desire to improve. Although John Bunting projected him as an end during his recruitment, Wilson came to Carolina with a preference for playing offense. When it became clear it wasn't working, however, he didn't pout. He moved to end with the intent to learn as much as possible--as quickly as possible.
He's battling at a position with players boasting significantly more experience. Instead of growing frustrated with a lack of knowledge, however, he's used the veterans as resources.
"I've tried to be a hustle guy and get my technique down so the coaches will trust me to play," Wilson says. "And I've tried to pay attention. Learning from guys like Coach Pearman, Coach Sanders, and players like Shelton Bynum, I know so much more about football now than I did at the beginning of camp."
"What he's done is that he understood very early in camp that he didn't know anything," Sanders says. "It was strictly effort. But he went all out, and that's how he got our attention first. He was making mistakes, but he opened our eyes with his effort level. Since then, he's continued to progress because he has learned what to do."
That progress has taken him from off the grid to second on the depth chart. That slot means he won't see major playing time against Rutgers--the Tar Heel coaches will try to get the line backups between 10 and 20 snaps. Sanders calls them "leg savers," as they're intended to allow the first string to rest for a series and remain fresh for the fourth quarter.
But if Wilson continues to make rapid improvement, don't be surprised to see fans checking their programs on Saturday to learn the identity of number-92.
"One play sticks out to me from camp," Sanders says. "Joe Dailey was scrambling. He ran left, and E.J. was right there. He moved back right, and E.J. was still there. Most defensive linemen would have fallen down. But he had great balance and great speed on that play, and that's why I think he's going to be a surprise for this team."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and 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 Going Home Again, click here.
