Feb. 7, 2001

Quotes from Coach Bunting

The University of North Carolina released its 2001 football national letter of intent signees on Wednesday, February 7 at 3:30 p.m. North Carolina Head Coach John Bunting held a press conference to discuss the 2001 recruiting class at that time.

Audio coverage of the press conference is available exclusively on TarHeelBlue.com.

2001 NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNEES

Player Bios

Led his team to the state championship and a 12-1 record as a senior * Became a starter as a sophomore and led Brother Rice to a 23-4 combined record in his last two seasons * Team was 11-3 and advanced to the state championship game as a junior * Named first-team all-state * No. 23 Blue Chip prospect in Michigan * Passed for over 2,000 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 324 yards and four touchdowns as a senior * Had only three interceptions * As a junior, he completed 113 of 224 passes for 1,500 yards with 14 touchdown passes and just four interceptions * Coached by Albert Fracassa.

Was the conference defensive player of the year as a senior * Earned all-conference honors at defensive tackle as a junior and senior * Member of Tom Lemming's All-Mid Atlantic Coast Team * Led Forest Hills to an 11-3 record and the third round of the state 2-A playoffs * Made 95 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and five sacks for losses of 40 yards in 2000 * Member of the National Honor Society * Coached by John Lowery * Ranked one of Carolina's Top 50 players by the Charlotte Observer * Charlotte Observer All-Piedmont selection.

Two-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines * Teams were 20-3 in last two seasons * Page averaged over 320 yards rushing in 2000 * All-conference, all-county and all-area as a senior * Selected to play in the North Carolina East-West high school all-star game * Played defensive tackle as a sophomore * Coached by Bill King * Also competed in wrestling and track and field.

Two-time North Conference 2-A lineman of the year * Member of Tom Lemming's All-Mid Atlantic Coast Team * Two-year starter at offensive tackle and defensive tackle * Averaged four pancake blocks a game * Team rushed for more than 3,000 yards as both a junior and senior * Team was 7-4 in 2000, losing to the eventual 2-A state champion in the playoffs * Recorded 73 tackles on defense * Voted offensive captain of the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team * Two-time discus state champion * Attended Governor's School and is a Morehead Scholar Nominee * National Honor Society member * Ranked among the Top 10 in his academic class * Coached by Randy Long.

Played running back and defensive back as a senior and was an outside linebacker and tight end as a junior * Named all-conferece at running back as a senior and was honorable-mention all-conference at linebacker as a junior * Missed four games his senior year because of an ankle injury * Team was 6-1 in games he played and 6-0 in games he played at running back * Rushed 130 times for 835 yards and 12 touchdowns * Made four catches for 30 yards * Returned nine kicks for 198 yards and two touchdowns * Had three interceptions at defensive back * Coached by Linny Wrenn * All-conference sprinter who competed in the 100m, 200m and relay events.

SuperPrep All-American * Ranked as the No. 6 tight end in the country by SuperPrep * Member of Tom Lemming's All-East Team * Four-year starter who played a variety of positions, including tight end, defensive end and linebacker * As a senior, caught 30 passes for 395 yards and had six touchdowns * Was the team's third-leading tackler with 57 hits, including a team-high nine sacks * Named all-state at defensive end by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association * Named all-state at tight end by the New Haven Register * Two-year all-conference selection * Played on state championship runner-up team in 1997, 1998 and 1999 * Coached by Jeff Brameier in football and lacrosse * Was a four-year letterwinner in lacrosse and three-year letterwinner in basketball * Started on 2000 state championship lacrosse team * His father, Andy, played tight end at UNC, lettering from 1972-74.

2000 Mid-South 4-A Conference Player of the Year * All-conference at wide receiver and defensive back * Had 37 catches for 875 yards and 12 touchdowns on offense and 68 tackles and five interceptions on defense * Named All-Cape Fear region * Played in the North Carolina Shrine Bowl * Third player from E.E. Smith to commit to UNC since 1994 (Russell Davis in 1994, Joey Evans in 1997) * Coached by Milton Butts * Averaged 11 points a game in basketball.

Named conference lineman of the year * Helped lead Dudley to the conference championship and the state playoffs for the first time in 26 years * Finished the season with an 8-3 record * Two-year starter at linebacker and tight end * All-conference as a senior and honorable mention as a junior * Coached by Bob Warren * Also played basketball, baseball and track.

First-team Parade All-American * SuperPrep All-American and ranked as the nation's No. 9 overall defensive lineman * Ranked No. 2 prospect in North Carolina by SuperPrep * No. 5 defensive lineman by PrepStar * Member of Tom Lemming's All-American Team * Tri-County 3-A All-Conference selection * Earned all-state honors * North Carolina Shrine Bowl Game selection * Had 133 tackles, 10 sacks and 18 tackles for loss as a senior * Recovered two fumbles, forced three fumbles and blocked one kick * Played basketball and competed in the discus and shot put in track * Had 69 tackles as a junior, but missed five games because of a broken leg * Coached by Don Murry.

Three-year starter at defensive back and wide receiver * Earned all-conference honors two years at defensive back * Named to the Kinston Free Press All-Area team as a junior and senior * Named all-state as a senior * Had 27 tackles and 10 interceptions as a senior * Had 38 receptions for 670 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior * Team was 8-5 and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs * Returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown * Coached by Jeff Price * Also started three years at guard on the basketball team * Basketball team is currently No. 2 in the state.

Two-time all-state selection * Three-year starter on offense and defense * Graded out as the top lineman in every game at Ravenscroft * Had 101 tackles and six sacks as a senior * Team was 11-1 and won the Independent School 3-A state championship *  Coached by Ned Gonet * Also played basketball * Officer in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

SuperPrep All-American and ranked No. 32 nationally among linebackers * Ranked No. 25 among all seniors in Florida by SuperPrep * Orlando Sentinel's No. 12 player in the state of Florida * Member of Tom Lemming's All-Southeast Team * Two-time all-state selection * A two-way standout who started at linebacker on defense and tight end on offense * Also played some at fullback late in the season * Made 122 tackles, two sacks, 11 tackles for loss, recovered three fumbles and had two interceptions as a senior * Team was 8-3 in Class 5-A * Four-year starter * Older brother is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro * Coached by George Janan * Member of the National Baccalaureate Academic Program * Also played basketball and competed on the track team.

Played wide receiver and quarterback in high school * Caught 77 passes for 852 yards and 14 touchdowns as a sophomore * Switched to quarterback in his junior season and played there the last two years * Passed for 2,391 yards and rushed for 1,410 yards in his career * Responsible for 54 touchdowns * Selected Kentucky's 2-A Player of the Year as a senior * Helped lead Mason county to a 9-3 record, its best ever * Ranked the No. 8 senior in Kentucky by SuperPrep * Coached by David Buchanan.

Ranked No. 3 prospect in North Carolina by SuperPrep * Ranked No. 20 running back in the country by SuperPrep * Member of Tom Lemming's All-Mid Atlantic Coast Team * Big East Conference Player of Year * North Carolina Shrine Bowl selection * Two-year all-conference selection * Named all-state as a senior * Rushed for 5,077 yards on 568 carries and scored 70 touchdowns in his career * Averaged 158.7 yards per game in four seasons * Had 266 carries for 2,652 yards (averaged 221.0 per game) and 32 touchdowns as a senior * Rushed for 1,900 yards and scored 32 touchdowns as a junior * Led team to an 11-1 record and the second round of the 4-A state playoffs * Team was 21-3 in his last two seasons * Had 16 kickoff returns for 522 yards and four touchdowns * Coached by Eric McDaniels * His father, Anzell Harrell, is an assistant football coach at Elizabeth City State and coaches running backs.  

Named to the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team * Member of Tom Lemming's All-Mid Atlantic Coast Team * Had 108 tackles, eight sacks, two interceptions and blocked five kicks as a senior * Had 118 tackles and one interception as a junior * Two-time all-region and all-conference selection * Also started at fullback and had 208 yards and five touchdowns as a senior * Coached by Mark Heil * Also competed on the wrestling and baseball teams.

Chosen for the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team * Caught 24 passes for 549 yards and scored eight touchdowns as a senior * Also rushed for 174 yards on 15 carries, an average of 11.6 yards per carry * Returned 15 kicks for 500 yards, an average of 33.3 yards per return * Had two kickoff returns for touchdowns - 92 and 95 yards * Accumulated 1,223 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns * All-conference as a junior and senior * All-area selection as a senior * In his career, caught 56 passes for 1,347 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed 25 times for 199 yards * Also had three interceptions * Coached by Alex Mebane * Leading scorer on basketball team that won the 4-A state championship as a junior * Named the basketball West Regional MVP in the playoffs * Also competed in the long jump and placed in the conference meet.

Coached by John McKissick at Summerville, the largest high school in South Carolina * Played just one season at Summerville after transferring from Wando High School in Charleston, S.C. * Participated in the Shrine Bowl * Helped lead Summerville to a 11-2 record and a berth in the state playoffs * Started the season at tight end and moved to offensive tackle early in the season * Also played defensive tackle * Named all-region * Selected All-Low Country by the Palmetto Touchdown Club.

Two-year starter at wide receiver at the same high school that produced UNC wideout Bosley Allen and former FSU standout Peter Warrick * First-team all-state selection * Nominated to play in the Florida-California All-Star game * Caught 76 catches for 1,344 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior * Had 42 catches for 769 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior * Also returned punts and kickoffs * Played on the basketball team * Coached by Paul Maechtle.

Has only played football for two seasons * Helped lead Hoover to a 14-1 record and the 6-A state championship * Ranked as the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in Alabama by the state's high school coaches * Two-time Player of the Week in the city of Birmingham * Selected to the Alabama-Mississippi High School All-Star Game * First-team all-state as a senior and honorable mention as a junior * Had 49 receptions for 814 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior * Had 39 catches for almost 800 yards and five touchdowns as a junior * Two-year all-conference and all-metro selection * Coached by Rush Propst.

Team captain for a squad that went 10-0 in 2000 and was ranked No. 4 among all high schools in the state of Maryland * Team won the league championship * Anchor of an offensive line that averaged over 300 yards rushing per game * First-team all-state selection at offensive line * Two-time all-conference * First-team All-Metro by the Washington Post * Was an offensive tackle and center and saw some action at defensive tackle * Also played track, lacrosse and basketball * Coached by Dan Paro.

Official UNC Signing Day Audio Coverage
Real Player	Coach	Date
	John Bunting Exclusive Press Conference	Feb. 7, 2001