CHAPEL HILL – Apparently, an executive decision within the walls of the Kenan Football Center was what kept John Copenhaver on the field last month.
The North Carolina junior tight end broke his right hand in the Tar Heels’ season-opening victory over South Carolina, so the following week, he had to make a decision.
Actually, it was a collective effort between Copenhaver and tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens, a former head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
“It definitely ran through my mind,” Copenhaver replied earlier this week when asked if he’d considered sitting out. “I asked the question, ‘why the first game of the season? Why couldn’t it be towards the end of the season?’
“But I definitely thought about it. Maybe I should just let it rest for a week or two and see where it goes. But I talked to coach Kitchens and made the executive decision to just club it up.”
Clubbing it up meant Copenhaver had a cast and massive wrap on the hand that was so clear anyone who paid attention to him would have seen it from even the highest peak inside Kenan Stadium. Copenhaver no longer wears a club, but it’s still padded up pretty well, as he is still a while from a full recovery.
Not having full use of his right hand has been limiting.
“It hasn’t been easy, but put a cast on it and go out there and play,” said Copenhaver, who has eight receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns on the season. “It’s a little mind game. If you mess up, miss a block, you could say you have an easy way out.”
Both of his scores came after breaking the hand, including in the opener, the night he was injured.
Most UNC fans likely remember his acrobatic falling-backwards catch in the end zone against the Gamecocks. The break occurred not long before, but Copenhaver kept on playing. No pad, no wrap, no brace. Just a football player doing football things.
Now, Copenhaver still fights the discomfort, but it’s nothing like it was.
“The pain is still there a little bit,” he said. “It’s not horrible. It’s not like how it was when it first happened. But when you go in there and block, you’ve got to use your hands. You can’t just ball it up in a fist and see where it goes from there.”
A little love from his crew back home might make it feel even better this weekend, as the 17th-ranked Tar Heels (6-1, 3-1 ACC) visit Georgia Tech on Saturday night. A native of Roswell, GA, the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder will be close to home, which he says is about 45 minutes from Atlanta.
Copenhaver was recruited by Georgia Tech, visiting a few times. He says he enjoyed it, and it had a lot of what he was looking for. But Carolina was a better fit.
And Saturday, Carolina will play inside Bobby Dodd Stadium with approximately 12 of Copenhaver’s family and friends on hand.
“It’s definitely awesome going back home,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of people coming to the game, so it’ll be fun to see them.”
And it’s definitely good to get healthier as each week passes, to which Copenhaver can attest.
