Shaun Draughn
Shaun Draughn

Player Profile
Class:
Junior

Hometown:
Tarboro, N.C.

High School:
Tarrboro

Height / Weight:
6-0 / 205

Position:
Tailback

A pleasant surprise in 2008 after moving from safety to tailback in preseason camp • Became the starter midway through the season and enters 2009 as the starting tailback • Could contend for all-conference honors • Has good quickness and the ability to make tacklers miss.

2008: Played in all 13 games and started the final six of the season at tailback • Led the Tar Heels in rushing with 866 yards and three touchdowns on 198 carries • That is the highest rushing total for a Tar Heel since Jonathan Linton had 1,004 yards in 1997 • Draughn ranked sixth in the ACC in rushing with 66.6 yards per game • Averaged 4.4 yards per carry, tops among Tar Heels with more than 11 carries • Rushed for 769 yards over the last nine games for an average of 85.4 yards per contest • Named one of the Tar Heels' offensive players of the week in UConn, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech wins • Is the first Tar Heel with three 100-yard games in a season since Ronnie McGill in 2006 • Rushed for 65 yards on 17 carries and caught three passes for 11 yards against West Virginia in the bowl game • Carried 29 times for 110 yards and a touchdown at Duke • Scored on a 4-yard run in the first quarter after running for 57 yards on Carolina's opening drive • Also caught four passes for 28 yards and an 11-yard receiving TD for his first career multi-touchdown game and 138 yards from scrimmage • Rushed for 56 yards on 13 carries and added two catches for three yards against NC State • Ran 13 times for 46 yards at Maryland and caught two passes for a career-best 23 yards • Rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries and added two catches for 18 yards in the win over No. 20 Georgia Tech • Named one of the team's offensive players of the week in the victory over the Jackets • Carried 18 times for 64 yards and added a 5-yard catch in the win over No. 23 Boston College • Ran for a career-best 138 yards on 30 carries at Virginia • The 30 carries were the most by a Tar Heel since Linton carried 36 times against Duke in 1997 • Carried 17 times for 91 yards in the Notre Dame win • Rushed for 109 yards and a TD on 19 carries against No. 23 Connecticut • Touchdown came on a career-best 39-yard scamper • 100-yard game was the first by a UNC running back this season • Named one of the team's offensive players of the week against the Huskies • Ran for 13 yards on five carries at Miami • Rushed five times for 10 yards against Virginia Tech • Ran for 44 yards on just eight carries at Rutgers • Rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown on seven carries against McNeese State • First career TD came on a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys.

2007: Saw action in 11 games, primarily on special teams • Played against James Madison and Virginia at safety • Finished the season with five tackles, includng three solo stops and two assists • Had two tackles against James Madison, one at South Florida and two at NC State.

Tarboro High School
Three-year starter • Ranked the No. 10 player in North Carolina and the No. 30 athlete in the country by Rivals.com • Ranked the No. 12 player in North Carolina by SuperPrep • Considered the No. 18 player in North Carolina by The Charlotte Observer • Played quarterback, defensive back, linebacker and tailback in high school • Named first-team 2A all-state by NC Preps • Gained 1,452 rushing yards on 253 carries and scored 21 touchdowns as a senior • Named player of the year by the Daily Sentinel and offensive player of the year by the Rocky Mount Telegram as a senior • Also earned all-league honors • Won Eastern Plains Offensive Player of the Year, Daily Southerner Player of the Year and Red Zone Player of the Week honors three times as a senior • Rushed for 952 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior • Coached by Jeff Craddock.

Personal
Son of Shirley and Kenneth Draughn • Both of his parents are ministers • Born December 7, 1987 • Double major in communications and exercise sports science • Would most like to appear on the reality TV show "College Hill" • People say he looks like Nelly, LL Cool J and Curious George • Favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill is Japan Express • Began playing football in the fourth grade because he grew to love it by watching with his father and grandfather • Favorite NFL team as a kid was the Dallas Cowboys • If he could appear on a magazine cover, it would be Ebony as the man of the month • Says the best thing about Carolina is the "family atmosphere."