University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Taylor Bulks Up, Branches Out
September 7, 2006 | Football
Sept. 7, 2006
By Adam Lucas
Hilee Taylor was pleasantly fielding questions from the assembled media on a Tuesday afternoon. It was vintage Taylor, which is to say there were copious amounts of answers that began with, "yes, sir," or "no, sir," and every response included direct eye contact.
Then his eyes widened. He'd been called a name. Not a derogatory name--well, not really. But a name Taylor felt no longer applied.
"A speed rusher?" he said, in response to a question referring to him as that particular brand of defensive end. "I don't consider myself a speed rusher anymore. I'm a run and pass guy. I don't consider myself just a pass rusher anymore."
In the aftermath of Saturday's disappointing performance against Rutgers, Taylor was one of the few Tar Heels from the defensive unit who earned praise from their head coach.
"I think Hilee Taylor played quite well," John Bunting said. "I think he has the makings of being an all-star defensive end. He was one of the bright spots out there on defense."
Taylor's six tackles were double the total of any other Carolina lineman. He registered one of only two Tar Heel sacks and was one of only three players with at least one tackle for loss.
Carolina coaches weren't just interested in the quality of Taylor's snaps. They also paid attention to the quantity of repetitions he received. He was pressed into service as a true freshman in 2004, when he memorably capped the Georgia Tech game with a sack, forced fumble, and touchdown return--all on the same play. Since then, though, he had mostly seen spot duty, entering the game only in obvious passing situations. He was frequently employed at the team's DPR (designated pass rusher) slot last season.
After bulking up to 250 pounds over the summer, the Laurinburg native has turned himself into an every-down player.
"Part of his improvement is maturity," defensive coordinator Marvin Sanders said. "But it's also his body. He's always been slight of build, but now he's maintaining his weight. Now he can hold up that end. Before, he was just a pass rush specialist. Now you can keep him in the game because he can hold up against most tight ends."
"It's not just the weight he's added that has been helpful," ends coach Danny Pearman said. "Endurance has been key for him. That's something that has hampered him some in the past. And he understands football a little bit more, and that allows him to play faster."
Taylor has been learning football on an accelerated schedule ever since joining the Scotland County High varsity as a prep junior. That's not the track followed by most college starters, who usually arrive on their high school campus anointed as starters and never leave the starting lineup.
But Taylor was 170 pounds as a high school junior. He quickly learned his way around the weight room, but was still too light as a college freshman to play on the line. His 13 tackles as a true freshman were made from the linebacker position, which is why he was originally handed jersey number 33.
It's a number that looks a little odd on an end--you expect the player wearing it to be trying to bust through the line carrying the ball, not bust through the line to tackle the ballcarrier--but Taylor enjoys the uniqueness.
He's also quick to point out that he's done more than just change physically since arriving at Carolina. He's also become more astute on the field.
"My mentality is so much different now," he said. "When I was a speed rusher, every time I stepped on the field I thought it was a pass. That was a disadvantage to me, because teams would gameplan, `Let's run right at him.' Now my mentality is looking for the run first, and if it's a pass I react. It makes the game a lot easier."
Of course, it's easier to react to a pass when you're still blessed with the speed to barrel around the corner and blow by an unsuspecting tackle. Taylor might be more than a speed rusher, but that doesn't mean he's completely eliminated quickness from his arsenal.
Pearman--who has a Virginia Tech connection with his pupil, as Taylor strongly considered the Hokies and the coach spent eight years in Blacksburg--coaches his ends to always have a fallback move. Watching Taylor motor by a helpless Rutgers tackle on the season's first series, it looked suspiciously like a speed move. Was it?
"Oh, yes sir," Taylor said with a big smile.
"It felt like practice again. It felt like what I'd been doing for the whole month. I'd been facing Brian Chacos in practice and he's one of the best linemen in the ACC. Before the game, he told me, `Hilee, you've got the speed.'"
And this year, he's got even more than that.
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.
