University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Football Blog
January 24, 2010 | Football
Signing Day Live! wraps up
1:11 p.m. - Signing Day Live has just finished. Be sure to watch the press conference at 3:30, and, in the meantime, check out any videos you might have missed by clicking the 2010 Signee Roster link above.
Robert Quinn at the Kenan Football Center
1:01 p.m. - Caught up with #42 just before he attacked the lunch buffet. Check that out here.
Lunch has arrived
12:30 p.m. - Sorry for the delay in posting; lunch is here and things are kind of quiet - for now. Butch Davis' press conference at 3:30 will break down the class. Signing Day Live! has about a half-hour to go.
Hurst and Leifheit in the building
11:58 a.m. - Offensive linemen and early enrollees James Hurst and T.J. Leifheit were kind enough to stop by the glorious Tar Heel Monthly interview room. Check their interview out here.
Marvin Austin speaks
11:04 a.m. - After his big Signing Day Live! sit-down, I grabbed Marvin to talk about 2010, Signing Day, and his education. You can listen to it here. I posted it at posterous so you can play it in your browser without having to download.
Ethan Farmer is a Tar Heel
10:53 a.m. - Tabor City athlete Ethan Farmer has faxed his letter to the football office.
Butch Davis on Signing Day Live!
10:26 a.m. - Butch Davis is on with Jones and Adam, and he says the return of the juniors really helped this bring this year's recruiting class to Chapel Hill. And Marvin Austin has arrived. Here's what Davis had to say to him: "Hey, Big Marv! What have you got on, man, a blanket?" And he does. Marvin is wearing a blanket. Curious to see if he takes it on set.
Darius Lipford on board
10:05 a.m. - Linebacker Darius Lipford from Lenoir has become a Tar Heel.
Signing Day Live! is on the air
10 a.m. - The show is up and running and underway, so be sure to click the link at the top of this page.
Moving upstairs
9:52 a.m. - We have moved our base of operations to the fifth floor of Kenan Football Center, where Signing Day Live! is about to start. Coach Davis just walked by ready for his first sit-down with Jones and Adam.
Sean Tapley's letter arrives
9:33 a.m. - Sean Tapley, an athlete from Jacksonville, Fla., has become a Tar Heel.
Reggie Wilkins is a Tar Heel
9:30 a.m. - Athlete Reggie Wilkins comes to Carolina from Shelby Crest High School.
Carlos Gray on board
9:28 a.m. - Defensive tackle Carlos Gray is a Tar Heel.
9:15 a.m. - Memphis, Tenn. athlete Quinton Alton is a Tar Heel. In other news, the Signing Day Live! talent is here and preparing to hit the Internet airwaves at 10 a.m., so get pumped for that.
Ty Linton is in
9:04 a.m. - Charlotte Christian linebacker Ty Linton is officially a Tar Heel. When the day started, Butch Davis said he reminded him of Dan Morgan, who came into Miami not very highly-rated, but became a first round pick in 2001.
A buzz of activity
8:56 a.m. - Troy Douglas checks in. He's in a festive mood, on the phone with recruits and parents.
Kareem Martin on board
8:54 a.m. - Kareem Martin, a defensive lineman from Roanoke Rapids, has become a Tar Heel.
Tim Jackson is a Tar Heel
8:51 a.m. - St. Petersburg, Fla. defensive lineman Tim Jackson is officially on the roster.
P.J. Clyburn on board
8:50 a.m. - Statesville linebacker P.J. Clyburn has faxed his letter to the Kenan Football Center.
Notes on the atmosphere
8:47 a.m. - Coaches are walking up and down the hallways, waiting for phone calls and the ring of fax machines. Tight end coach Allen Mogridge was just in here, talking about how Signing Day has evolved over the past few years.
Russell Bodine in the mix
8:40 a.m. - Offensive lineman has faxed his letter to the football office.
Brendon Felder on board
8:21 a.m. - Pennsylvania WR Brendon Felder's letter has arrived.
Gio Bernard's letter is in
8:18 a.m. - Davie, Fla. running back Giovanni Bernard is officially a Tar Heel.
Jabari Price is a Tar Heel
8:10 a.m. - DB Jabari Price from Pompano Beach, FL has faxed his letter. Just a reminder - you can view videos of the recruits as they announce from the 2010 Signee Roster above.
Tre Boston on board
7:50 a.m. - Cape Coral, Fla. athlete Tre Boston is a Tar Heel. Coach Davis on the phone with him right now. "I'm geeked," he told Boston.
The first letter is in
7:45 a.m. - Offensive lineman Nick Appel is the first signee on National Signing Day 2010. The 6'6, 300-pounder comes to Carolina from Bishop O'Connel in Arlington, VA.
The calm before the storm
7:27 a.m. - No news as of yet; Coach Davis is just about to be interviewed on 620 the Buzz, so check that out .
Coaches fired up
7:11 a.m. - Carolina coaches and staff are here, bright and early, ready for a big day. This is Butch Davis' fourth National Signing Day at Carolina. He just stopped in to reminisce about some of his classes at Miami - particularly the 1998 signing class, which wasn't a Top Ten class, but resulted in four first round NFL Draft picks in 2001. Dan Morgan, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Damione Lewis, anyone?
NSD: Fax Machine Is Ready
(Feb. 2, 6:30 a.m.) - Welcome to National Signing Day and our NSD blog. We're inside the Kenan Football Center today for all the action and will try to give you updates throughout the day on Carolina's 2010 signing class. We'll talk to coaches, players and try to give you a feel for what it's like inside the building.
The coaches are starting to trickle in and recruiting assistant Brenda Haithcock has double and triple-checked the fax machine. We expect the first fax to be rolling in shortly after 7 a.m.
Head coach Butch Davis will be a guest on several local and regional radio shows today. The first is this morning at 7:30 a.m. on 620 The Buzz with hosts Adam Gold and Joe Ovies. Of course, he will appear frequently on today's Signing Day Live! show, with the first interview at approximately 10:10 a.m.
UNC Ties To The Super Bowl
(Feb. 2) - North Carolina and head coach Butch Davis have ties to several players in Super Bowl XLIV between New Orleans and Indianapolis. For starters, former North Carolina standout Jeff Saturday will be going for his second Super Bowl title in the last four years. Saturday, who lettered four seasons at UNC from 1994-97, earned his fourth Pro Bowl honor this season, and is the unquestioned leader on the Colts' offensive line. This marks the ninth straight season Carolina has had at least one Super Bowl representative.
Davis, who coached six seasons at Miami from 1995-2000, either coached or recruited three players in this year's Super Bowl, including Indianapolis wide receiver Reggie Wayne, New Orleans tight end Jeremy Shockey and New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Vilma.
Indy assistant head coach Clyde Christensen lettered two seasons for the Tar Heels in 1977-78 at quarterback.
Brown Sets Record...Again
(Jan. 31) - Another track meet, another school record for linebacker Zach Brown. As you can read here, Brown ran the 60 meters in 6.72, .01 better than his performance last week. Running back Hunter Furr, an accomplished high school track standout, finished eighth in 6.93. Redshirt defensive back Curtis Campbell ran the 300 meters in 36.75, which ranked 17th.
Thomas Gets Sack In Senior Bowl
(Jan. 30) - Cam Thomas recorded a sack in the Senior Bowl Saturday afternoon. After a good week during practices in Mobile, Ala., look for Thomas to possibly move into the first day of the NFL draft. Well, what should be the first day of the draft. For the purpose of TV, the first day of the NFL draft will now be on Thursday, April 22, on prime time at 7:30 p.m. The second and third rounds will be Friday and rounds 4-7 will be Saturday. Gone are the days of draftniks sitting around all-day Saturday and Sunday watching the draft. ESPN and the NFL Network will televise the three-day affair.
Thomas Making Good Impression In Mobile
(Jan. 29) = According to the Sun-Sentinel Miami Dolphins' blogger, UNC defensive tackle Cam Thomas is having a good week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Thoma talks about much fun he has on the field and how that started while playing for Butch Davis and John Blake in Chapel Hill. The Senior Bowl will air Saturday on the NFL Network at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, former North Carolina standout Bucky Brooks is covering the Senior Bowl and NFL Draft for the NFL.com and offers his first look at the 2010 NFL Draft.
Thomas Represents Tar Heels At Senior Bowl
(Jan. 25, 2010) - Defensive tackle Cam Thomas will play for the North squad in the Under Armour Senior Bowl on Jan. 30 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The game will kickoff at 4 p.m. and will be televised by the NFL Network. Many observers consider the Senior Bowl to be the elite all-star game for NFL prospects.
Joining the players in Mobile are the two coaching staffs for this year's game--the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. The Dolphins will coach the South squad while the Lions will head up the North.
A native of Eagle Springs, N.C., Thomas had a solid career at UNC and was a starter his last two seasons. As a senior, Thomas had 23 tackles, 2.5 for loss and scored on a 20-yard fumble recovery at Boston College. It's a crowded field at defensive tackle in this year's NFL Draft, but at 6-4, 330 pounds, Thomas is an intriguing prospect who would certainly help any NFL squad.
Saturday Heads Back To Super Bowl
(Jan. 24, 2010) - For the second time in his career, Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday will play in the Super Bowl. Saturday's Colts advanced to the Super Bowl with a 30-17 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon. With Saturday at center, the Colts won Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4, 2007 over the Chicago Bears, 29-17.
Saturday was a two-time All-ACC center at UNC in 1996 and 1997 and helped lead the Tar Heels to back-to-back 10-win seasons. He was undrafted out of college, but signed as a free agent by the Colts after being waived by the St. Louis Rams. He was recently selected to his fourth Pro Bowl.
This is the ninth consecutive season Carolina has had at least one representative in the Super Bowl.
Brown Sets School Record in First Meet
(Jan. 23, 2010) - Just two weeks ago, sophomore linebacker Zach Brown decided to run for the UNC track and field team. Good decision, Zach. In his first meet since high school, Brown set the indoor school record in the 60 meter dash with a time of 6.73, which was just .02 off the NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
Brown has not participated in track since he was a senior at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md. However, the 6-2, 220-pound Brown was clocked at 4.2 in the 40-yard dash last year by UNC's strength and conditioning staff. That time was done by hand, indoors and on a mondo surface. Still, that's fast and his first track meet proves he can run with the best.
Brown started six games last year at outside linebacker and played on special teams. He finished the season with 47 tackles, four for losses, and had one interception. Brown is one of five Tar Heels that plans to run on the track team this year, including Hunter Furr, Jheranie Boyd, Curtis Campbell and Josh Hunter. In addition, several other players are going to work with UNC sprints coach Antonio Pettigrew on improving their speed this offseason.
LSU Tickets On Sale
(Jan. 22, 2010) - Tickets are now available for North Carolina's season opener vs. LSU in the 2010 Chick-fil-A Kickoff in Atlanta, Ga. Now in its third season, the Chick-fil-A Kickoff is one of college football's top season-opening games, featuring the ACC vs. the SEC. Carolina joins Clemson and Virginia Tech as the only three conference schools to compete in the game. LSU leads the series with the Tar Heels, 5-1, but the last meeting was in 1986. The game will be played in the Georgia Dome. Carolina's last appearance at the Georgia Dome was a 16-10 victory over SEC foe Auburn in the 2001 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Holly Signs Cowboys Futures Contract
(Jan. 21, 2010) - Few observers gave former North Carolina wide receiver Jesse Holley much chance of making the Dallas Cowboys roster after winning Michael Irvin's reality show 4th-and-Long. After all, he was only assured of a training camp invitation by winning the show. But Holley made the practice squad, where he stayed all season, and has now signed a futures contract, which allows him to participate in the club's offseason program. According to this ESPN blog, Jerry Jones even mentioned him by name when telling reporters why the Cowboys didn't need to draft a wide receiver this year. Good job, Jesse. Keep up the good work.
