Heels Midweek: Seniors Reflect On Their Careers & More

CHAPEL HILL - Four North Carolina seniors met with the media at the Kenan Football Center on Tuesday ahead of their final home game against Mercer on Saturday.

Among the topics discussed were the future of the defensive line, Myles Dorn’s index cards, Dominique Ross’ roots and Antonio Williams’ mission.

Here’s some of what each had to say:

With just two seniors, Crawford and Jason Strowbridge, on the defensive line, the Tar Heels lose very little in the trenches going into next season. The likes of sophomores Raymond Vohasek and Xach Gill, redshirt freshman Jahlil Taylor as well as true freshman Tomari Fox have played a combined 518 snaps so far this season, meaning the future should be bright for UNC’s defensive line group.

Crawford spoke about each of those four players and what to expect from them moving forward:

“I think Jahlil Taylor will continue to make his rise,” he said. “He’s been coming along and I feel like it’s going to be a big offseason for him to get with (strength and conditioning) coach (Brian) Hess. Once he continues to buy into that, I feel like he’s definitely going to be special.

“The same with Xach Gill. He’s a similar mold and I expect him to keep progressing as he goes forward.

“Ray Vohasek is going to help. He’s been out of ball for about a year or so before he got here coming out of JUCO, so I feel like, as he continues to get ingrained with D1, Power 5 ball, he’s going to be someone to look after too.

“Tomari Fox, he has all the tangibles. He’s the most physically ready freshman I’ve seen come in on the d-line so, as soon as he continues to make that mental jump on what he needs to do as far as just acclimated to the game, he’ll be doing something special as well.”

On Monday, defensive coordinator Jay Bateman talked about Dorn’s use of 3x5 index cards when he was out injured during spring practice, saying the senior safety would jot notes down on them as he tried to learn the new defense. Bateman found this amusing and has gone on to call Dorn “elite smart,” a huge compliment coming from someone who’s considered one of the top defensive coordinators in the country.

So, some eight months later, does Dorn still have those note cards?

“Yea, I still have them. I keep them in my room,” he said. “He kind of didn’t like it at first but that’s the way I learn. I just had note cards and, whenever he would say something, I felt like was very important, I’d write it down and then, on the back of them all, draw it. That’s just how I learn best and I could piece things together a little bit better than writing it in a notebook.”

A Jacksonville, FL, native, Ross said choosing to play football in Chapel Hill helped him avoid some of the unwanted distractions he often found himself surrounded by back home.

“Jacksonville, it can be a dangerous place, (but) it’s really whatever you make of it,” he said. “If you focus on the negatives, you can be a negative kind of person. You can be in the wrong spot at the wrong time and some bad things can happen. There’s not as much positivity than if you move out and see the bigger picture.”

The senior linebacker also discussed how the opportunity to play football at UNC helped change him as a person over the last four years.

“My experience here means a lot. Without the opportunity to leave the environment I was in I don’t think my mindset could have grown the way it has over the past four years and I’m really thankful because it made me a better person.”

After transferring from Ohio State in April 2018 and playing 294 snaps for the Tar Heels last season, Williams has dealt with nagging injuries throughout his senior campaign. Prior to last Thursday’s 34-27 loss at Pitt when he finished with a season-high 107 yards, Williams had seen the field primarily on special teams, playing just 62 snaps at running back through the first nine games.

While Williams hasn’t had the final season he’d hoped for, he doesn’t appear bothered by it. He’s solely focused on helping the program take steps forward in the right direction before his time at UNC is up.

“The biggest thing with me is just stay positive and keep guys motivated,” he said. “It’s not about me, it’s never been about me. Carolina football has been here way before Antonio Williams was born, it’s going to be here way after I’m dead. So, the biggest thing for me is just making sure that I’m contributing to this team anyway I can. Whether that’s playing football, running the ball, special teams, whatever it is, just contribute (and) leave this program better than when I got here.”