Ratliff-Williams Adding To His Repertoire

CHARLOTTE – North Carolina is determined to put last season behind it.

Going 3-9 with an historic number of injuries certainly should add fuel to any team’s fire, but the Tar Heels don’t want to entirely forget what happened, either. And one of the few bright spots shining through the tornado of torn knees, broken bones and concussions so many Heels sustained was the eruption by Anthony Ratliff-Williams.

The 6-1, 205-pound Charlotte native had a breakout season earning All-ACC honors as a return specialist and serving a cause for a few of the, well, few smiles associated with last fall.

Ratliff-Williams accumulated 895 kick return yards on 34 returns – an average of 26.3 yards per return, good for 12th nationally – and twice took kicks the distance for scores versus Louisville and Pittsburgh, respectively.

A 3-star quarterback when he arrived at UNC in January of 2015, Ratliff-Williams moved to wide receiver midway through his first fall camp. But he’s best known right now for those breathtaking return skills. However, the NCAA’s new kickoff rule in which teams will start at their own 25-yard-line any fair catch inside of that mark could affects returners decisions across the nation. How about Ratliff-Williams’ aggressiveness?

“I think it's a very interesting rule to implement,” he said Wednesday at the ACC Kickoff. “You have to make a lot of smart decisions, I feel like. It doesn't take away from me being aggressive in the kickoff return game, but you definitely have to be smarter with catching the ball on the 25-yard-line and being able to play the ball on the 25-yard-line.

“I feel like the rule may not have been necessary, but it is being implemented, so just being smart and taking time.”

Perhaps he will take on another specialist role this season, as the junior said in the spring, which was later confirmed by head coach Larry Fedora, he will get an extended look at returning punts when fall camp commences on Aug. 2.

Is that still the plan?

“Most definitely,” he said, smiling.

As a receiver, Ratliff-Williams has taken his time learning how to the position at the ACC level. It’s been a work in progress, but that effort showed last season it’s paying off. His game rose several notches from previously, and surpassed all expectations.

He finished with 35 receptions for 630 yards and 6 touchdowns, with a 5-catch, 131-yard game at N.C. State his best as a receiver. Now, he needs to take his game up another level to help the Tar Heels and better position himself for the NFL, which is a stated and reachable goal.

Ratliff-Williams knows having a handle of the nuances of his position are vital, better hands, sharper routes, too, are part of this process. But he’s not getting so caught up in racking up numbers or anything of the sort. He’s confident it’s all coming together, and most important he just wants to help the Heels win games.

“I'm going to do whatever it takes to get wins,” he said. “And if that means me returning a kickoff for a touchdown, catching a kickoff, it doesn't matter, it's just -- or catching a touchdown. It's just whatever my team needs to me, so I don't mind doing it.”

That could also mean throwing one, something he did in a win at Pittsburgh last season. In fact, he was the first player in FBS to catch a touchdown pass, throw one and return a kickoff for a score in the same game since 2000.

He smiles when asked about that big night and doing it again. The self-assured Tar Heel also has no problem saying a repeat performance could be in the works. Confidence is not an issue with Ratliff-Williams. But his focus is bigger than that.

That's where his developing leadership skills come into the equation. The wide receiver group is young, so Ratliff-Williams needs to continue his joking, smiling, fun-loving ways, but he also needs to be serious and speak some unpleasant words when necessary, too.

Ratliff-Williams needs to be a leader.

“I definitely have to serve as more of a vocal leader this season,” he said, wearing a serious look on his face. “I just have to take a step back to my high school days where I had to be that vocal guy on the team.

“Last year, I just excelled on the field and didn’t talk. However, now we have younger guys such that look up to me, so I have to talk. I just put a lot of pressure on myself to be vocal and help guys get out of their shell.”

Talking, catching, running long distances and maybe even throwing from time to time, Ratliff-Williams can now add leading to his array of talents. And that’s a pretty full package, one he can handle.