Here Comes Carolina Tar Heels: Five Players Every ACC Fan Needs To Know

The Tar Heels are on everyone's short list of teams that are poised to make that big leap ahead during the 2008 college football season.  Every preview magazine, television show and newspaper is touting TJ Yates, Brandon Tate, Greg Little and Hakeem Nicks as the player on the cusp of breaking out on the national scale.

On the regional scale players like Marvin Austin, Deunta Williams, Trimane Goddard and Tydreke Powell are getting press on the defensive side of the ball.

Heck, even incoming freshmen Jamal Womble, Kevin Reddick, Zach Brown and Quinton Coples have gotten ink as possible additions contributing to Tar Heel success this upcoming season.

Here are five Heels; mentioned only in passing if at all during the hyping of the Carolina 2008 season, that are incredibly essential to the Tar Heels' successes.

Cam Thomas, Vince Jacobs, Jordan Hemby, EJ Wilson and Ryan Taylor

They're all on the defensive side of the ball and each of these guys has got something to prove heading into 2008.

Cam Thomas (6'3", 330 pounds)

Thomas is a soft-spoken mountain of a man playing his fourth season of college football and has serious designs on truly being the middle of Carolina's defense.  While Austin, Mullins and Powell are known for their ability to chase down quarterbacks, Thomas is the truest run stopper of the group.

The redshirt junior isn't a sack man, although he did manage one sack in limited action in 2007, he is the plug within the Tar Heels' interior line.  He is capable of occupying two linemen; freeing Quan Sturdivant, Bruce Carter, Chase Rice and Ryan Paschal to flow freely to the football.

Thomas' massive size isn't his largest asset, that title belongs to his unselfish attitude and willingness to sacrifice personal stat sheet successes in exchange for team success on the field.  His efforts will go largely unnoticed by most casual fans but, without Cam the Tar Heel linebacking core will struggle mightily to fight off blockers and make tackles near the line of scrimmage.

As a player Thomas has been steadfastly determined to succeed in getting better on a daily basis.  During his redshirt season on scout team Thomas was an 18-year-old kid working to lead through hard work, possessing a fun loving but no nonsense approach to the game and an insatiable appetite for improvement.

That situation has created a kid who is a leader from the rear.  Pushing himself to be great all the while working to raise the level of play of those around him.  Look for #93 this season whenever Tar Heel tacklers are gobbling up ball carriers at the line, he won't be hard to spot.

Vince Jacobs (6'6", 235 pounds)

Jacobs strolled into Chapel Hill as a nationally ranked tight end phenom and one of the overall best prospects in the state.  His highly touted status got him in the door but his tweener body style left him out of the musical chair dance that had become the Tar Heel tight end position. 

This logjam at tight end saw Richard Quinn and new comers Ed Barham and Zach Pianalto receiving the bulk of the reps and Jacobs was one of the odd men out.  He played sparingly in 2007 after redshirting 2006 and it appeared his future was being relegated to the special teams for the remainder of his career.

However, Butch Davis and his staff saw the raw talent and athletic skill set Jacobs possessed, so they took a flyer on moving the talented ex-Providence Day star to defensive end during the spring of 2008.  This switch may prove to be genius as Jacobs has already shown a knack for disrupting backfields.

With the departure of Hilee Taylor the Tar Heels have lost their speed-rushing specialist, in Jacobs, it seems they have found another demon to come off the corner and terrorize ACC quarterbacks.  Currently listed at 240 pounds and looking to get close to 250, it'll be interesting to see how Jacobs' body handles the extra size. Hilee's frame never truly accommodated the weight gain that might have improved his durability.

Though it is no small task to replace last year's sack leader Taylor, Jacobs does have the physical tools to make a significant impact: An All-State track performer, high jumped 6'6" and a basketball state and AAU champion. 

On third and long don't be surprised to see this 6'6" tight end turned defensive end coming off the corner doing his best George Selvie impersonation.

Jordan Hemby (5'10", 185 pounds)

Hemby got to school in 2005 with high expectations.  Marvin Sanders, the Heels defensive coordinator, expected him to hit the field and immediately contribute.  This was not in the cards for the Morganton Freedom stud, he was instead redshirted.

After a season working with the scout team and a full spring to heal his body and his ego Jordan waltzed into 2006 ready to be the impact player the Heels were looking for in the secondary.  Again, it wasn't to be.  Hemby tore his ACL in the 52-7 debacle at Clemson.

In 2007 Hemby was a strong contributor for the Heels special teams as he worked to learn the system under Chuck Pagano.  Now fully healthy in 2008 the redshirt junior looks to crack the Tar Heel rotation in the secondary. 

This will be no small task with established, experienced competition in Charles Brown and Kendrick Burney.  However the depth that Hemby is able to provide may be his biggest asset.  The junior will finally get to show what he can do in games and after impressing in practice for stretches it will be a treat to see the kid get to perform under the lights.

Expect to see Hemby contribute largely on special teams and possibly in Carolina's special packages such as nickel and dime schemes that put more defensive backs into the game.

EJ Wilson (6'2", 280 pounds)

The lone experience at the end position for Carolina, Wilson's 5 sacks in 2007 were overshadowed by his linemates first round pick Kentwan Balmer and sack leader Hilee Taylor.  EJ is a true defensive end, he plays the run and pass equally well and EJ's "well" is quite exceptional.

Before finding this home at the end spot Wilson bounced around between fullback and tight end.  He showed his ability at d-end on the scout team during his redshirt year on the Hill.  Wilson put his hand down and squared off against Brian Chacos, Charleston Gray and Chris Woods during offensive team periods even though he was still technically a tight end.

Wilson's debut in 2006 was a rocky but promising start, as the kid from Brunswick High School worked to adjust from an offensive player to a defensive stopper.  As the season wore on he showed flashes of what he could become if given a more substantial role.

Last season saw EJ play a larger role, yet still was not truly the leader on the defensive line.  Even after starting all 12 games last season most Carolina fans don't mention Wilson as the rising star of the defense. 

With the upgraded secondary play and increased playing time, including third downs this season, the redshirt junior's stats should increase as they have at every turn in his short Tar Heel career.  EJ is already on the NFL's radar and with some polish this kid could become the next great Tar Heel defensive lineman.

Ryan Taylor (6'3", 240 pounds)

There's a lot to be said about the Mount Tabor tight end turned h-back turned linebacker.  He's a physical phenom, a great blend of size and speed that wowed folks coming out of high school.

Taylor's growth as an offensive and defensive player has been severely retarded both by the coaching transition and the position switches.  Originally recruited during the Bunting Era, Ryan was expected to be a skull cracker of a blocking tight end, capable of stoning ends and linebackers as well as converting third downs and making red zone plays.

Coming to linebacker in the spring didn't help Taylor, he was forced to quickly grasp a scheme and position that was completely alien to him.  However, he's been able to settle into his reserve linebacker role and is steadily improving on his contributions.

While the offensive and defensive aspects of his game have struggled his special teams contributions have remained an unwavering constant. 

Ryan Taylor is one of those rare breed of players that loves the teams.  He takes great pride in his work on all four core teams and he brings an almost savage attitude with him to the field.  Taylor is the type of kid who doesn't mind sacrificing his body as long as the other guy gets it a little worse.

While the linebacking position is filled with a host of talented players, expect to see Ryan Taylor #49 flying down the football field in the fall during kickoff, punt, punt return and kickoff return. 

With the increase in depth and talent on special teams Taylor's leadership will come in handy in maintaining order during the chaos of the kickoff.  He will be the conductor of the brutal symphonies that are Carolina's critical special teams battles.