Feb. 25, 2000
By Rick Brewer
There was a time, hard as it may be to believe, when fans actually cared more about their current team than who was being recruited for the following season.
No, this wasn't during the Middle Ages, before the American Revolution or even during the Great Depression.
Actually, as late as the mid-1970's, only cursory attention was paid to football and basketball recruiting.
That all really began to change when freshman eligibility was restored for the 1972-73 school year. It only took a couple of seasons for fans to realize that incoming freshmen could help a team in their first year on campus. This was particularly true in basketball.
Football has continued to be a different story. While interest in football recruiting has become as rabid as that in basketball, it is more difficult for freshmen to make a major impact in that sport. Upperclassmen have such an advantage in strength, speed and quickness because of sophisticated weight training programs that freshmen have trouble trying to compete against them.
Certainly, a number of freshmen have developed into key players in their first seasons at Carolina. Most have played the skilled positions where strength has not been as much of a factor in their ability to succeed. Amos Lawrence, Jason Stanicek, Ronald Curry, Natrone Means, Thomas Smith, Randall Felton, Billy Johnson and Matt Kupec are a few examples of players who have made impacts in their first season on campus.
Occasionally, there have been linemen or linebackers who have also played a great deal in their initial year here - Buddy Curry, Darrell Nicholson, Dwight Hollier, Tommy Thigpen, Marcus Jones and Tim Goad are some who fall into that category.
Still, playing any sport - especially football or basketball - is a difficult assignment for a young person just out of high school. That's why coaches dread all the talk about recruiting. Many newsletters and newspaper columns are devoted to recruiting speculation. Often college coaches feel these can damage the recruiting process when they include false information or simple guessing about what a 17-year-old is thinking.
Thus, when the recruiting process for a year does finally come to an end, it is a relief to coaches as much as it has to be for the high school seniors. All the rumors about one class end and coaches know who they will have to work with the following season.
Such was the case recently when Carl Torbush talked about his incoming freshmen for next fall. It was also a relief because Torbush feels his coaching staff has recruited a solid class of players.
"Considering all the turmoil we had during the last half of the year, our coaches did a remarkable job," he said. "And the kids who agreed to come here obviously think our program is on the verge of being back on solid ground. This says great things to me about the future.
"I think this is the third excellent class in a row we will have recruited. The other two are already on campus and I know what those players can do. We'll continue to be a young team for the next couple of years, but a team with some very good talent."
Carolina coaches did not go out this past fall looking to fill as many specific needs as they have in the last two. Instead, they tried to find the best players available, regardless of position.
"You're always looking for defensive linemen," said Torbush. "But, there are never as many of those around and everybody is after the same people. Still, we were able sign three or four who have the potential to be exceptional players."
Carolina was fortunate to get 14 or 15 early commitments from players. Because they made their decisions months ago, fans may not have heard as much about them as the young people who announced their college choice closer to signing day.
"Those guys knew what they wanted, academically and athletically," says Torbush. "They're so important because you're going to be lucky to get 25 percent of the players you're still pursuing in the last week before the national signing day."
Since last fall, Torbush has been talking about a group of offensive linemen the Tar Heels were red-shirting. He feels they will be nucleus of an outstanding offensive line for the next four years.
"They could be as athletic as any linemen we've had here," he said. "Still, one or two of the freshmen we've just signed could help there. But because of the strength and size of opponents, the offensive and defensive lines are about the hardest places for a true freshman to play."
Two quarterbacks were signed, Darian Durant of Florence, S.C. and Aaron Leak of Durham, N.C.
"This was so important," said Torbush. "We found out how quickly you can run out of quarterbacks last season when both Ronald Curry and Luke Huaard were injured. If we had signed a quarterback last year he probably would have been starting at the end of the year."
Eleven of the 19 recruits are from North Carolina. Torbush says this is a continued good sign.
"These kids were right here in the state and saw what was happening here," he pointed out. "They knew we weren't playing well and heard rumors about my future. They were exposed to our program more than the out-of-state guys. Still, they felt this was the place for them and wanted to come to Carolina. They saw the public support our program had and that should help us in the future."
As usual, Torbush was asked which of the freshmen had the best chance to play in their first year.
The answer was Blake Ferguson, a placekicker and punter from Broken Arrow, Okla. With punter Brian Schmitz and placekicker Josh McGee graduating from last year's team, it is vital that replacements be found for those two as soon as possible. Torbush would prefer that a freshman only be forced into one of those important roles. He's hoping that a current non-scholarship player on campus will emerge this spring to handle the other job.
Others who might have an edge in getting playing time as a freshman would be one of the defensive linemen, possibly a fullback or maybe one of three running backs¯Jason Crawford, Brandon Russell or Andre' Williams.
"We need to get them on campus in August before we can start thinking too much about that," said Torbush. "I'm excited about this group, but I need to see them in person, day-after-day, on the practice field before making decisions about who's ready to play."
But, by then, some fans will already be talking about who is being recruited for the fall of 2001. That's the cycle that has developed and it can drive both coaches and prospects crazy.
