GoHeels Exclusive: Nicks' Knack

by Lee Pace

Exhibit A in the Hakeem Nicks' highlight reel from his days from 2006-08 as a Tar Heel receiver would certainly be his behind-the-back snare in the 2008 Belk Bowl against West Virginia.

Nicks ran a shallow crossing route from the Mountaineer 40-yard-line in the third quarter when quarterback T.J. Yates' pass was well behind his target. Nicks spun his body to his left, reached behind him with his left arm, cradled and then balanced the ball on the underside of his buttocks, completed his 360-degree spin, transferred the ball to his right hand and took off around the left flank. He finished the play off with another 360 spin to ward off one tackler, picking up nine yards and the first down and leaving one West Virginia player clutching his helmet with both arms in disbelief.

Exhibit B had come just five weeks earlier in the season finale at Duke. Late in the first half from the Duke 37-yard-line, Nicks took off on a go-route down the right sideline and was blanketed by a Blue Devil defender on his back-right shoulder. Nicks looked over his head and spotted the ball. With his left arm hindered by the Duke player, Nicks snared the ball with his right arm, balanced it against his helmet and took possession just as he tippy-toed inside the back end-line. The two officials on the scene had to confer to make sure what they thought they'd seen had actually happened.

Touchdown, Tar Heels.

"You never knew what he'd do next," says Yates, the starting quarterback for parts of Nicks' second and third years as a Tar Heel before Nicks entered the NFL Draft in 2009. "Throwing to a guy like that gives you so much freedom and security. You knew that no matter what, he's going to come down with the ball. Having Hakeem there was obviously such a huge part on my success at Carolina."

"He was not the fastest guy, but you knew he'd get open," adds Brian Chacos, a senior offensive tackle during Nicks' freshman season in 2006. "And one thing you could count on: It would take more than one guy to tackle him. He'd always stiff-arm the first guy. That's a huge message to our players now: Don't let the first guy tackle you. People remember the great catches he had, but I remember that he never dropped a pass, never did anything silly. He was such a solid player and a good dude."

Nicks retired after the 2015 season after a seven-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl ring with the New York Giants and 356 career receptions for more than 5,000 yards.

His legacy now lives on in the Kenan Football Center after having made a generous contribution to name the wide receiver meeting room.

"It's always good to be able to give back if you're in that position," says Nicks, who lives in his hometown of Charlotte. "I owe a lot to the University of North Carolina. They were the only school to offer me a scholarship (I committed before my senior year). They gave me the opportunity, and that means a lot to me. They believed in me before anyone else did.

"They prepared me for life beyond Carolina, particularly going to a market like New York in the NFL. Things like having a presence, how to carry yourself, to be humble, to interact with the media. We had a seminar on dinner etiquette. There were so many things I faced that I was prepared for because of the University of North Carolina."

Nicks is third all-time in number of catches among Tar Heels and second in total receiving yards with 181 catches and 2,840 yards with 21 touchdowns. His 1,222 yards in 2008 were the most ever for a Tar Heel in one season.

Nicks and Yates entered Carolina in August 2006. Nicks would play as a freshman while Yates was redshirted and then started parts of the next four seasons.

"We got to campus and you said, 'Holy cow, this guy's an amazing receiver,'" Yates says. "He did things all the time in practice and in games that would continue to wow you. This guy is just so different. He's not a normal freshman. You knew he had the potential to help right away. He never stopped. He was a good guy and good friend, a very good teammate. He was a quiet guy, but man he showed up on Saturday.

"And he was super strong. He was not just a good ball-catcher and route runner, but he was a strong dude. His ability to throw DBs around and get open and his catching ability were off the charts. He had some of the biggest hands I'd ever seen or shook. I think he wore like 4x gloves."

Nicks has been visible around the Tar Heel program since his retirement. He attended practice one day in the fall of 2019 and addressed the team afterward.

Hakeem Nicks meeting room 2020

"Hakeem did a great job with our players," Tar Heel Coach Mack Brown says. "He had their attention talking about competing. He told them about getting to the NFL and dropping some balls early. One of his older teammates pulled him aside and impressed upon him how hard the game was at that level, how his work ethic had to improve. Hakeem said from that point on he was early to practice and the last to leave, that he spent every minute he could working on his pass-catching skills. He said that was what made him a great player."

Nicks is the second former Tar Heel in the last year to step up and name a meeting room. Da'Norris Searcy, who played at Carolina from 2007-2010 and later played nearly a decade in the NFL, made a contribution toward the defensive backs meeting room. Chacos and Ken Mack, two former football players now on the fundraising staff with The Rams Club, are working on potential contributions from other former Tar Heels to give back to the program.

"Having guys like Da'Norris and Hakeem around is so important," Brown says. "Your program is built on your past. The guys gave their blood, sweat and tears to build the program, that's why tradition is so important. We're really enjoying guys from different decades coming back and giving back. A lot of time athletes feel like they gave their all to the university and they're not into giving back. So it's great to see these guys up and put their names on their positions. Guys who grew up adoring them and respecting them and want to be like them see that name every day when they walk into the meeting room."

Searcy paid tribute to his position's heritage by having a "Rude Boys" logo tattooed on his biceps.

"I love that name," he says. "We were known as rude boys, ball-hawks with a dominating personality. We were the back end of the defense, the last line."

Searcy and Nicks hope their philanthropy can be a domino that helps other current NFL Lettermen contribute to the program Brown is building.

"I'm proud to create a lasting legacy," Searcy says. "When I'm dead and gone, my kids can bring their kids up there and show them, 'This was your grandfather.' Carolina helped me live out a dream and be part of something special."

A similar sentiment can be heard from Nicks. "I came as an 18-year-old boy and left as a young man. It's important that I give something back and try to help another young guy coming along."

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