University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Taylor Continues Evolution As Senior
September 11, 2007 | Football
Sept. 11, 2007
By Adam Lucas
Hilee Taylor stood at the foot of the Tar Pit and laughed. It was empty now, but when he saw it on Labor Day weekend, it was packed with students and pulsating. He expects it to look the same way this weekend against Virginia.
But right now, he has something to tell its inhabitants.
"I probably need to apologize to some of the students," the senior says. "I think I was pointing at them pretty much every play against James Madison. It was such an electrifying atmosphere. It made you want to do some crazy things.
"I always tell people not to judge me by how I act on the field. When I'm out there, the atmosphere makes me do some crazy things."
For the ultra-polite Taylor, a native of Laurinburg, "crazy" usually means saying "yes" rather than "yes sir." For most of his previous three years at Carolina, he's been content to lead by example, preferring to let his on-field performance do any speaking that's required.
But as one of the few seniors to see meaningful snaps for the 2007 Tar Heels, he knows more vocal leadership is necessary.
"As a junior I didn't do much talking, and I think that was a mistake," he says. "Looking back, I regret it. At the time, I thought you had to be a senior for anyone to absorb your words.
"But when Coach Davis got here, he made it clear that I have to also be more verbal. I'm making an effort to do that, and I think guys are taking it to heart."
"You can see that he always does what he's asked to do," freshman defensive lineman Marvin Austin says. "He's one guy who is always going beyond the call."
Of course, all the speeches in the world won't matter unless there's a proportional amount of on-field production. Through two games, Taylor's eight tackles rank second on the defensive line (trailing only Kentwan Balmer), and his 1.5 tackles for loss place him second on the team. He also picked up half a sack at East Carolina.
Pressuring the quarterback has been his role ever since he played as a true freshman in 2004. Undersized for a defensive lineman, he contributed at linebacker and set the true freshman record with 4.5 sacks. As a sophomore, he played primarily in passing situations, and then moved into more of an every-down capacity last season.
He's maintained that position this year, helping to solidify one of the few position groups on the roster with depth and experience while also mentoring some of the younger players--Darius Powell, a similarly tweener-sized athlete trying to adapt to the speed and strength of college line play, is one of his special projects--on the line.
Taylor has been focusing on more than just intangibles this year. With the help of new line coach John Blake, he's also intent on refining his technique.
"We're getting off the ball so much better this year," he says. "We're not trying to read and react. We don't want to let the offensive line dictate what we do. We want to dictate what they do. We want to hit them in the mouth and create a new line of scrimmage."
Proclaiming that he's ready to hit someone in the mouth is about as rude as you can persuade Taylor to be. His favorite senior leader during his Carolina career was Tommy Richardson, and Taylor has tried to follow the former linebacker's example of providing realistic praise for the younger players.
There's one topic, though, where he might be just a little jealous of his protégés.
"The atmosphere here for the opener this year was unbelievable," says Taylor, still standing inside Kenan Stadium. "For some of the guys, it was their first time playing at Kenan and they'll get to experience it for four more years. I don't have that, and I think that's what made me appreciate that atmosphere even more."
Spoken like someone with an enhanced perspective on what it means to be a Carolina football player. Asked to describe the most surprising thing he's been given by Carolina football, he doesn't name a specific play or game.
Instead, he mentions a life lesson.
"I can truly say that my first couple of years here, I took it for granted," he says. "When kids would come up to get an autograph, I didn't understand it. Now I understand. We inspire a lot of kids, and what we do on and off the field is important. There is always someone watching us.
"A lot of people have a dream of getting to play on this field. I get to do that, and that's a big responsibility."
Adam Lucas most recently collaborated on a behind-the-scenes look at Carolina Basketball with Wes Miller. The Road To Blue Heaven will be released on October 1. Lucas's other books on Carolina basketball include The Best Game Ever, which chronicles the 1957 national championship season, Going Home Again, which focuses on Roy Williams's return to Carolina, and Led By Their Dreams, a collaboration with Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers on the 2005 championship team.
