Peay’s View: Willie Lampkin’s Advantages In The Trenches

CHAPEL HILL- If the NCAA were to switch the rules of college football to that of seven-on-seven, North Carolina would immediately elevate to one of the top programs in the country. Historically, UNC has had no issues with getting elite skill guys to wear Carolina blue on Saturdays.

It's been no secret, however, even with the return of Hall of Fame head coach Mack Brown, that fortifying the trenches is the key element holding the Tar Heels back from taking the next step.

Defensively, Brown has gathered some talented kids, who the program still believes can be productive players at the ACC level. Offensively, however, the team is still waiting for some younger players to bring it consistently and reinforce themselves in the rotation along the offensive front.

“It’s time for some of those young offensive linemen to step up,” Brown said earlier this spring. “They’ve had three offensive line coaches in one year. If three of them felt like they are not ready to go then they are probably not.”

Fortunately for the Heels, in modern-day college football, when the talent recruited out of high school doesn’t pan out, programs can turn to the transfer portal to immediately plug holes in their rosters. To help Carolina take the next step up front, Brown turned to Coastal Carolina transfer Willie Lampkin.

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Upon first glance, the Lakeland, FL, native doesn’t have the typical physical tools most ACC linemen boast. Standing 5-foot-11, Lampkin was probably written off as too small, but very quickly into watching his film, it can be seen why he started all 12 games as a true freshman for the Chanticleers, a rare feat. He started as a sophomore as well, and last fall, was named Sun Belt Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Lampkin plays much bigger than his 290-pound frame. There’s a saying in football that the low man wins, and standing under six feet helps him naturally stay lower than the defensive linemen he is blocking. Lampkin was also a 47-0 wrestler in high school, which surely helps with hip flexibility, and helps him get even lower.

Also, an advantage to being 5-foot-11 is he has the feet of a sub six-foot athlete, with his good footwork allowing him to have a relentless blocking style.

“It helps me keep my leverage, " Lampkin said of his wrestling experience. “It keeps my feet going, because when you are in a tie-up I don’t want to have my feet dead because, if my feet are dead I am definitely going to get taken down.”

Another football area that has been helped through wrestling is Lampkin’s hands. When blocking his opponents, he constituently has good hand placement not getting them too wide. In addition, he has strong hands. Once he gets locked onto a defender, all of the club and rip moves defenders use prove useless against the strength of his grasp.

“He’s one of those, when he shakes your hand, he breaks it, " said Brown.

The benefits that come from wrestling exceed the physical, there is a certain level of toughness one needs to endure the average wrestling practice. The foundation of any offensive front is toughness and recently, Lampkin showed off the mentality it takes to be a successful undersized offensive lineman, when he dislocated two fingers in practice, but refused to be removed from any drills. This type of effort shows coaches and his teammates that unless there is a “real” injury, they can always count on Lampkin to be available.

“I didn’t want to waste any reps, I wanted to get all of the reps I can,” he said. “And with the season coming up soon, I have to be the best I can be to help this program… It hurt really bad, it was really bad, but I wanted to fight and I wanted to be tough.”

When the program added center Corey Gaynor last season, toughness was a characteristic that many of his teammates said he provided. With the addition of Lampkin, the Heels add another tough guy upfront, and as they populate the offensive front with more tough guys, the faster Carolina will be able to take its football program to new heights.