Freshman Profile: Defensive Back Zion Ferguson
CHAPEL HILL – With 21 true freshmen enrolling early at North Carolina, the program has made each of them available to the media to learn more about them and allow fans to get some insight into the newest Tar Heels.
One of the newest Tar Heels we spoke with is defensive back Zion Ferguson. Below is his bio, notes about the conversation, and the interview. Note, the interview was done right before spring practice started.
UNC’s bio on Ferguson:
Zion Ferguson
Defensive Back
6-foot-1, 175 pounds
Gainesville High School / Atlanta, GA
• An early enrollee who is a four-star prospect ranked as the nation’s 146th-best overall player, the No. 19 cornerback and the No. 23 player in Georgia by Rivals
• Invited to the Under Armour All-American Game
• Tallied 75 tackles, a sack, four TFL, eight INTs and six PBU over his final two prep seasons
• Posted 37 tackles, a sack, two TFL, five INTs and four PBU as a senior
• Led Gainesville to a 12-1 record, a region championship and berth in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs
• Was a preseason 6A all-state selection • Notched 38 tackles, two TFL, three INTs and two PBU
as a junior
• Helped Gainesville to 14-1 record, a region championship and a trip to the state championship game
• An Honor Roll student
Here are some notes and excerpts from what Ferguson had to say:
*Ferguson arrived at UNC at 165 pounds. He was 176 before spring practice started, and his goal weight for now is 180.
“I’ve gained a lot. Amber (Rinestine), she does a good job staying on us with our nutrition, eating, getting our vitamins, and all the protein and stuff that we need.”
Rinestine is UNC’s Director of Football Performance Nutrition.
*Ferguson likes the fact that UNC’s program “likes to be traditional” in how it goes about things. An example?
“They like to follow a lot of the things that they did back in the day, what led them to be successful. And I feel like they try to implement it into us today. The same stuff can work and continue to be successful like they were back then.”
*It’s easy to buy into that approach because of past success.
“It’s very easy to buy in. We’ve got leaders on the team as well who also lead by example. Everybody just does their part and it’s not too hard.”
*The hardest aspect of gaining weight for Ferguson isn’t the workouts and weight lifting, it’s the eating.
“Waking up in the morning eating before lifting, eating snacks in between. Then the times I eat, eating after I lift, protein shake. Just the whole thing. All that implements into you trying to gain weight.”
*Ferguson has the build and skillset to play anywhere in the secondary, but he says he projects at corner at UNC. No cross training for now.
“As of now, that’s all they’ve been talking to me about, corner.”