CHAPEL HILL – There’s a famous scene in the 1982 smash comedy 48 Hours in which the character played by Eddie Murphy walks into a country bar and, with western/southern accent yells, “there’s a new Sherriff in town, and his name is Reggie Hammond.”

It was one of the iconic movie’s signature moments, and quite humorous.

Upon hearing about the many changes Travis Shaw has made since the end of last season, both on and off the football field, it wasn’t hard to imagine him walking into a defensive meeting just before the outset of spring practice, and doing his own little Reggie Hammond impersonation.

“There’s a new d-line monster in town, and his name is Travis Shaw!”

Funny, yes, and silly, for sure. But it kind of fits, not just Shaw’s unique personality, but the degree in which his sweeping changes have been so pronounced. At the core of it is the realization that half of his college football career is in the rearview mirror, and it’s time to tap into the many gifts he’s been bestowed.

“I think it’s more it’s his time,” North Carolina Coach Mack Brown said about the former 5-star prospect. “A lot of the young guys that have so much publicity, and they’re so big and they’re so dominant in high school. Then they get to college and they’re playing against a different group of people, and things happen faster for them.”

Brown then morphed into what sparked this transformation.

UNC defensive line coach Ted Monachino spent 16 years in the NFL, and has coached some outstanding linemen, many of whom played in Pro Bowls. He knows what it takes to reach that level, and how often players with potential to play on Sundays don’t make it.

That is exactly what Shaw’s course has resembled since arriving at Carolina two years ago. But perhaps that is changing.

“I think Ted sitting down with him and talking about the NFL,” Brown said, before relaying part of what Brian Simmons told Shaw.

“(He sat) down with him and saying, ‘you know, you’re a number on draft choice about to happen, (but) you’ve got to make it happen, though. You’ve been here two years and we’ve seen some improvement, we’ve seen some production. But it’s time, man. It’s time. So step up, and let’s start being who you came here to be.’”

Simmons was an All-America at UNC in the 1990s before spending 10 years playing in the NFL. He then served as a scout in the league, and is now Senior Advisor to the Head Coach/Pro Liaison under Brown.

Among his tasks is to help players prepare for the NFL, not so much on the field, but mentally, how they approach the game and themselves, and the realities of the process. Shaw needed and needs Monachino, he needed and needs Simmons. And he needs to fully tap into the player that resides somewhere within. Doing so could be a difference maker for Carolina’s beleaguered defense that set out this past spring to change its reputation.

“I’ve been blessed to coach some big-time defensive tackles in my career, and Travis Shaw is as physically gifted as them,” first-year UNC defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said. “He’s come to work every single day with a great attitude. He plays really, really hard, he’s playing with technique, he’s playing with fundamentals.”

Plenty of hype surrounded Shaw going UNC, but he has underperformed, or at least hasn’t been on the path many expected to date.

Last season, the 6-foot-5.5, 330-pound native of Greensboro played just 133 snaps. He was in on 11 tackles, one of which was a PBU. He didn’t play more than 10 snaps in any of Carolina’s last six games against FBS opponents. He has logged 289 snaps in two seasons.

The numbers should be different this coming fall. Many in the program are saying about the new Sherriff on UNC’s d-line. Even some of the harder-to-please teammates.

“I’ve seen Trav, honestly, just grow up and be who we want him to be and he needs to be for this team to take the next step,” said senior linebacker Power Echols. “When he got here his freshman year, I felt like he was just young, he was himself. But I feel like he’s (grown) up now and he’s understanding his importance to this team.”

Was there a moment when Echols did a double-take, recognizing something was different with Shaw?

“I would say I usually get here early in the mornings, and I’ve seen him being there at the same time I’ve been there,” he said. “So, I was like, ‘yeah, he’s locked in.’”

Brown says he saw it in the second practice this spring.

It appeared Shaw has seriously injured a knee. Brown didn’t think it looked good at all. But Shaw got up, shrugged it off, and kept playing.

This is the same player who last season would miss reps for stretches in practice because he was mildly dinged up or simply didn’t feel well. Late for meetings, not always clued in. Not anymore.

“He’s dialed-in, he’s a great young man, he’s a great player,” Collins said. “But he’s actually playing the game the right way right now. Preparing at a high level, studying the schematics that we’re doing, and I’m really proud of him.”

Those descriptions of Shaw are clear departures from before in his Carolina career. In a way, there really is a new Travis Shaw in town.