If the Tar Heels are going to field a quality team, in fact, it's mandatory that the newbies strike when the iron is hot.
Two of the most important positions of evolution are the offensive battery--the quarterback and center elevated to the spots vacated by the multi-talented Darian Durant and Jason Brown.
Matt Baker, a fifth-year senior, has gotten his opportunity after one red-shirt season and three ensconced on the bench behind Durant. He's got size, a good arm and a sharp mind. Thrice last fall, he had to enter games quickly when Durant was shaken up and acquitted himself well.
"Baker's biggest problem is, he's inexperienced," offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill says. "He's been here four years in the system, he knows what to do, he understands it. It's just a matter of him not having played. I don't have any question about his physical talent. I have no question about him mentally. Now it's just a question of performing under fire."
Baker admits to periods of coasting over his years at Carolina when the prize of playing time seemed remote. But the former lacrosse standout from Michigan says that his affection for Chapel Hill and the close friends he's made within and without the football program made those four years tolerable--even if he was forever watching from the extremities as Durant shred the record book.
"The first couple of years, I was kind of complacent," Baker says. "I knew I'd sit and watch, so I didn't really put as much into football as I needed to. It's been a tough wait, but I knew this year was going to come. It's my year to shine. I want to make the best of it."
His teammates have seen enough this spring with the bulls-eye on Baker's back to make them believe he can do the job.
"Matt will do fine," receiver Mike Mason says. "We've got all the confidence in world in him."
"He's the leader of this offense," tailback Barrington Edwards says. "He's the general, and he's acting like it. He's taken control. We'll move the ball with Matt."
"When he went into the game last year, he handled his business like a man," says fellow fifth-year senior Chase Page. "He completed passes, he didn't take sacks, he threw the ball away if he needed to, he managed the clock."
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A quarterback is only as good as the protection he gets up front, and the lynchpin to the offensive line is the center. The center has to read the defensive front pre-snap, anticipate the slants and stunts, check into the proper protection and then deliver the ball to the quarterback's hands without mishap. It's an enormous responsibility. Jason Brown's career began in infamy three years ago with a fumble-marred loss to Miami of Ohio to open the 2002 season--he and Durant muffed two exchanges that the Commanders quickly recovered. But it ended with a season marked by first-team All-America honors, an invitation to the Senior Bowl and a certain NFL draft selection.
Steven Bell was next in line for the job but missed the first half of spring practice recovering from foot surgery. Scott Lenahan, another prospect for the job, was out with knee and wrist problems. So offensive line coach Hal Hunter moved Ben Lemming from tackle to center, and the move appears to have tremendous upside potential. Lemming was good enough as a true freshman to move into the No. 3 tackle position upon the injury to Skip Seagraves and played in eight games.
"Ben's got a real chance to be very good," Hunter says. "He's a smart kid, he's dependable, he's tough, he's from a good high-school program. He has all the mental tools. He's never snapped the ball, so that takes some time. The game comes at you fast at that position. Everything he sees, it's the first time he's seen it. But he made a lot of progress from start to finish."
Lemming is a 6-5, 280-pound Texan and says he's enjoyed the challenge of learning the center's trade.
"Jason was an amazing player, one of the best I've ever seen," he says. "It's going to be a huge job filling his shoes. Center is a lot tougher than tackle, but I love it. I like the mental demands of the position. Now I've just got to get the QB-exchange worked out. I'd never put the ball between my legs before. I had a couple of shaky scrimmages early this spring, but I've gotten better."
The Tar Heels lose senior tailbacks Jacque Lewis and Chad Scott. Junior Ronnie McGill returns, but it's incumbent that a couple of quality runners from among Edwards, Vince Wilson and Antwain Carey emerge. Edwards has the jump on the other two. He was one of the nation's top high school seniors in 2002, signed with LSU and then transferred after his freshman season. Last fall, he was a scout-team tailback and gave the No. 1 defense fits with his aggressive running and his energy. Edwards was impressive in the spring scrimmage, pounding out 69 yards on 12 carries.
"Barrington totally annoyed the defense all during his red-shirt year," Bunting says. "Every single day, he came to work with a passion. He punished the defense. We knew we had something special. He's hard runner, he has some speed, and he's very, very competitive."
"He's got size, straight-line speed, some power, and he's got really good ball skills," Tranquill says. "We might use him a lot like Jacque Lewis--he can catch the ball on the corner and move the ball."
Four players of particular note on defense this spring include one tackle, Page, one end, Kentwan Balmer, and two linebackers, Larry Edwards and Chase Rice.
Page missed all of 2004 with a hand injury and has returned with complete health and an intense focus on going out as a winner. Bunting says at times that Page has been "unblockable," but Page shrugs that off as going against an offensive line trying to find its bearings with two departed seniors and a rash of injuries.
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"I've been around, I know what's going to happen sometimes before it happens," he says. "But I think I had a really good spring. Now I just want to carry it over to the season. I want to be a playmaker--rush the quarterback, stop the run, help get us off the field on third down."
Senior Tommy Davis missed all of spring practice following foot surgery, opening the door for Balmer to run with the first unit at right end. Balmer played in nine games as a true freshman in 2004. He's 6-5, 250, runs extremely well and is strong and getting stronger. He's also a diligent worker and an outstanding kid.
"He has the potential to be the best one out there," defensive ends coach Brad Lawing says. "He's learning how to play football at the Division I level. He's improved his pass-rush skills and his run fundamentals. He's becoming a very consistent player. And he has a tremendous work ethic. He's as pleasurable a kid as I've ever coached. He's eager to learn. He can't get enough."
Rice was red-shirted at linebacker last fall and has moved into the No. 2 "Will" linebacker slot, playing behind senior Tommy Richardson on the side of the field away from the tight end. Carolina linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen says Rice reminds him of Mike Morton--a smart, steady Tar Heel from the early 1990s who made a lot of plays. Rice is wearing No. 44--a number most recently worn on defense by future NFL linebacker Brandon Spoon.
"Doug Justice said something to me about that today," Rice said Saturday. "`You're pretty bold getting that number, aren't you?' I'm very aware of the tradition. I take it seriously. I want to work to become as good if not better than someone like Brandon Spoon. Something I want to do this summer is start watching tape of him to see what I can learn."
Edwards was one of the pearls of the Tar Heels' 2003 signing class and played a significant number of snaps as a true freshman. But last year he was burdened by extra weight and a loss of confidence and struggled through a forgettable season.
Bunting was quick to mention Edwards on two occasions last week when asked about players who've made notable improvement this spring.
"Edwards has had his best spring, by far," Bunting says of the junior who's moved from the "Will" position to the "Sam" slot over the tight end. "It comes down to maturity. He's gotten a fresh approach with a new coach and a new position. Playing over the tight end, he reacts well and is very strong. He could make a lot of plays for us."
He can be a vicious hitter--he knocked fullback Rikki Cook stone cold Saturday on a running play and then made the tackle--and carries himself with more confidence.
"I've loved the move to `Sam,'" he says. "I can play much more physical on that side. The `Sam' in our defense blitzes a lot, and I love to go after the quarterback. I have a lot of work to do--technique and footwork and reading my keys. But I'm going to do every little thing it takes to become a great player."
There are other stories on defense too numerous to elaborate on here--Trimane Goddard moves to strong safety, Kahlif Mitchell moves to nose tackle, Hilee Taylor and Joe Kedra move to end. But the sum of all these parts is a unit that appears poised to make a move toward respectability--this after three years of finishing in the latter reaches of 117 Division I-A teams in total defense.
"Our defense has really made major strides over the spring," Bunting says. "We have a chance to be really good. I've challenged them. We've been in the hundreds three straight years. It's time to get below that this year. In order to win week to week, you've got to have a good defense. I know what one looks like, and we're getting closer."
As Bunting spoke around 2:30 p.m. Saturday following the Blue-White Game, the sun had given way to more black clouds and a pounding rain. The cold and darkness of winter haven't quite yielded. The renovation of nature and Tar Heel football continues.
