Extra Points: Fan Boys

By Lee Pace

Twenty-one years after churning up Wake Forest for 244 yards rushing, Ronnie McGill watched with interest from his home in Houston as Carolina's football team played Wake Forest on Nov. 16. The long-time NFL scout and personnel executive currently working as a consultant for the Reese's Senior Bowl was wearing two hats—first as a loyal Tar Heel alumnus (letterman 2003-06, No. 15 all-time career rushing list with 2,393 yards) and as an evaluator of potential NFL talent (front-office career since 2010 with the Patriots and Texans).

McGill in his prime stood 5-11 and 220 pounds and, though he had a respectable burst, enjoyed powering over defenders as much as skirting around them. His coming out party as a freshman was that 42-34 win over the Deacons in 2003 when he preserved the win by breaking two tackles at the line of scrimmage and notching a clock-killing first down.

Watching from afar as Hampton destroyed the Old Gold & Black as McGill himself had done years ago was quite the blast—particularly with plays like Hampton's fourth-quarter touchdown that included getting yards-after-airborne-contact.

"I took on a role with the Senior Bowl and told them, 'Don't ask me about Omarion Hampton,'" McGill says. "I cannot be unbiased. I'm a fan boy. His combination of power, balance and body control are really impressive to watch. That play he made at the goal line—wow. I thought, 'Don't jump.' Jumping at the goal line usually ends badly. But he jumped, landed, stayed on his feet and was still able to get into the end zone. Just an amazing play."

As soon as the game was over, McGill got a text message from a Tar Heel teammate noting the uncanniness of both of them landing on 244 yards. Hampton carried the ball 35 times. It took McGill only 29 carries.

"That must be the magic number against Wake Forest," McGill says. "My average per carry was a little better that game than his. But he pretty much has me in everything else."

Hampton entered the 2024 season ranked No. 20 on the all-time Carolina career rushing yards list with 1,905 yards. Slowly but surely, he's been knocking off some of the biggest names in Tar Heel football annals.

Ken Willard, Curtis Johnson and Shaun Draughn slipped down a notch to make room for the powder keg tailback from Clayton as the season commenced. Then T.J. Logan at No. 16 with 2,165 yards fell, and soon Hampton passed Javonte Williams and McGill. The latter two, coincidentally, both wore jersey No. 25, and Williams is in his fourth year churning up NFL defenders with the Denver Broncos.

"Javonte had been my favorite Tar Heel of the guys who came behind me," says McGill. "He was a power guy, an old-school guy. Then Omarion comes along. Those two are now my favorites."

The dominoes kept falling as October bled into November—Marquise Williams, Gio Bernard, Tyrone Anthony, Elijah Hood and Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice. Next on the list, tied at No. 7, were Natrone Means and Ethan Horton at 3,074 as the Tar Heels traveled to Tallahassee in week nine to meet Florida State.

Watching closely was Means, who arrived back in Chapel Hill to join Mack Brown's staff as an offensive analyst working with the running backs in 2022, the same year Hampton joined the program.

"I'm a huge Omarion Hampton fan," Means says. "I've been blessed to have the chance to see him grow, see his ability grow. He runs so hard. He does something every Saturday that makes you shake your head and say, 'I thought I was done being amazed.' Then here he comes again. He's a decisive, one-cut runner. He doesn't mind contact and, in some cases, seeks it out. It's been a pleasure to be a part of his growth."

Carolina had the game well in hand through three quarters against the Seminoles on the way to a 35-11 win. Hampton needed 163 yards to reach Means and Horton, and Means joked on the sideline maybe it was time to give Hampton the rest of the game off leading into a bye week.

"I said, 'Slow down, buddy, let me keep my spot for another two weeks," Means said.

But Hampton kept laying the Seminoles to waste and finished with 176 yards, moving up to No. 7.

"I told him I hated to see my name drop, but I was glad it was him," Means says. "No one deserves it more."

Then came the prime-time meeting with Wake Forest in Kenan Stadium. Looming above Hampton at 3,083 yards were Don McCauley at 3,172 and Kelvin Bryant at 3,267. It was now 54 years since McCauley's career ended on the very same field with a 279-yard explosion versus Duke. Now retired from careers in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts, owning restaurants and two decades of fund-raising with The Rams Club, McCauley spends considerable time traveling with wife Tracey to visit eight grandchildren. He catches games on TV and replays every week.

"When Omarion breaks that line of scrimmage, it's fun to watch," McCauley says. "He just kind of glides along. He's real patient, he's not in a hurry and lets things form in front of him. He has a great change of direction and goes with the flow.

"The big thing with a guy like that is you've got to stay healthy. He runs where no one gets a good shot at him. Omarion is a smart runner, he picks and chooses where to make his cuts. He has it down to a science. He's never in a rush."

Hampton churned the Deacons for those 244 yards and vaulted ahead of McCauley and Bryant. Now entering the season finale against N.C. State Saturday in Kenan Stadium, Hampton sits at No. 5 with 3,380 yards. Michael Carter is a mere 24 yards ahead. From there, it's a huge leap of 313 yards to Leon Johnson.

Amos Lawrence at No. 1, Mike Voight at No. 2 and Johnson and Carter all played four seasons to compile their remarkable legacies. Hampton has steamrolled the ACC in three years and that first year in 2022 had to jockey with D.J. Jones, George Pettaway, Caleb Hood and Elijah Green for his spot on the depth chart.

Sixteen Tar Heels who have exhausted their eligibility will be recognized pre-game Saturday and roughly a dozen more who may or may not will be part of Senior Day as well. Hampton does not fit either category, but he'll make a decision soon on whether to return for his fourth year or enter the NFL Draft.

A lot of folks like Ronnie McGill will be watching.

"The kid from Boise State is probably going to be the first running back taken, but I would think Omarion is next," McGill says. "That combination of size, power, balance and the ability to run through tackles is special. He has some long speed. It's hard to see him not get drafted early and eventually be a feature back for some team. He can carry the load for a team that wants to be physical and have the running game be the focal point of the offense."

The season finale has set the stage for any number of memorable games for Tar Heel tailbacks—from McCauley's 279 vs. Duke in 1970; to Mike Voight's 261 vs. Duke in 1976; to Means' 256 vs. Duke in 1991; to Carter's 308 vs. Miami in 2020.

Humble and soft-spoken, Hampton eschews the spotlight and lets his work speak for itself. Just feed him the football and watch the opponents in front of him fall and step aside for the Tar Heel tailbacks in the record book above him to slide down a notch.

"Watching Omarion this year has brought back a lot of great memories," McCauley says. "Think of all the great runners this school has produced. He's right there with the best of them."

Chapel Hill writer Lee Pace (Carolina '79) has been writing about Tar Heel football under the "Extra Points" banner since 1990 and reporting from the sidelines on radio broadcasts since 2004. Write him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him @LeePaceTweet.

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