Smarter, Faster & Healthier, Tucker Is Raring To Go
CHAPEL HILL – Something didn’t feel right for Carl Tucker at some point during North Carolina blowout win at Old Dominion last September. And the Tar Heels’ tight end isn’t sure what caused the discomfort.
Somewhere during the course of that game, Tucker sustained an injury to one of his triceps, but it wasn’t that serious, yet. So, he gave it a go the following week at home versus Duke, but Tucker re-aggravated the injury even more and was done.
Tucker’s injury was so serious it cost him the remainder of the season. And with that news, the pain wasn’t just relegated to his massive muscle, it was elsewhere, too.
“The most frustrating thing for me was just watching my boys out there just working without me and just watching try as hard as they can and play as hard as they did,” he said. “Not being able to be out there was really frustrating to watch.”
Tucker did a lot of watching well beyond the end of UNC’s season some two months later.
He was finally cleared for all activities about two weeks before fall camp opened, meaning he was shelved in many respects for 10 months.
“A month ago, I started lifting heavy again, started doing pushups, just getting strength back in the triceps,” Tucker said.
He could do two things that should reveal improvements this fall: He gained a ton of mental reps last season, and a fast runner to begin with, Tucker, who stands 6-2, apparently got even faster this summer.
First, the mental reps:
“Luckily, I had (Brandon) Fritts out there to watch and seeing how smart and high is IQ was how he was running routes, how he was blocking,” Tucker said. “Just mental reps keeping up with the offense, still watching film, still seeing what defenses do, the tendencies and stuff like that.”
Now, how about that speed?
“He’s 255 pounds, and in all of our summer workouts, gps, he’s hitting 20 miles an hour every day,” UNC Coach Larry Fedora said. “So, he’s a guy that can really run, he’s physical and he catches the ball really well. He’s a guy that is definitely going to be a factor for us.”
Actually, Tar Heels’ quarterback Nathan Elliott was more specific about Tucker’s speed, while also offering a well-rounded description of the Charlotte junior’s skill set.
“He’s a great player, all the way around. Not just blocking or receiving, he can do both. He’s actually one of the fastest guys on our team. On our gps units, he got up to 22 miles per hour, which is pretty impressive for being that big.”
Tucker, who has 15 receptions for 230 yards and a score in his UNC career, says he’s 100 percent caught up physically matching his football acumen, which is something his teammates have spoken about for a couple of years.
Now fully healthy, Tucker is raring to go. And that’s another boon to Carolina’s offense.