UNC Football: Larry Fedora Brings Excitement, Electricity Davis, Withers Did Not
By Matt Hamm
Keeping It Heel Radio recently sat down with North Carolina 2013 offensive tackle commit RJ Prince. RJ had some great things to say and gave us some great insight into UNC football and the direction it’s going. I wasn’t able to take it in fully even after the show host Haley pointed it out after RJ got off the air. One of RJ’s comments hit hard after I listened to the audio of the interview.
Responding to a question I posed about Fedoras NC Dream Team has swept through the state so fast. Prince had this to say about:
"Yeah, in my mind, I really think. Coach Withers made the football program seem like there was no electricity in it, you know what I mean? I really think that coach Withers and his staff, made the whole 2011-12 football season, made it live up to the statement like it was a wine and cheese atmosphere and they really didn’t try and sell the program. They didn’t really do a good job of trying to come out and get recruits really. With coach Fedora he turned it around really. Really, quick, he turned it around."
Two things, RJ is speaking on interim head coach Everett Withers who took over for Butch Davis last season. Since Prince wasn’t recruited by Davis, his only point of reference is Withers. But make no mistake, the comment above applies to both Withers and Davis. Aside from allowing things he never should have happen, to happen, and leading a dirty program. Davis failed miserably at recruiting in the state of North Carolina.
The odds were stacked against coach Withers. I am a big supporter of Everett. I think he came into an impossible situation, said all the right things and overall did a nice job of coaching the team and keeping them together amid the scandal Davis left behind. Withers had no chance of securing the head coaching job full time. Davis’ lack of commitment to the state of North Carolina also put him at a big disadvantage. Recruiting is a glorified sales job. Your job is to sell the University, the program, the team, the coaching staff etc. Withers couldn’t do that since the team’s makeup, especially the coaching staff’s was so in flux.
I may be wrong here, but I think Withers deserves a pass. As for Butch Davis? I’ve seen Butch’s name attached to all kinds of rumors since he left Carolina. Both college and NFL teams have been rumored to be sniffing around Butch. Aside from the scandal, it doesn’t matter what University, if I were the athletic director, there is a zero percent chance I would even consider Davis.
Roy Williams is a great coach not only because he develops his players and teaches the game of basketball at an elite level. It’s because Roy hits the recruiting trail hard, every single year. In football, if your not keeping your studs in state, and your not recruiting your home state hard. Then you’ve missed one of the fundamental aspects of building a college football program. When it comes to Butch Davis, teams should just say no.
What Larry Fedora is doing is refreshing, but it’s not revolutionary. From the day he was hired Fedora expressed his goal of creating a North Carolina Dream Team. Already, he’s put together a top 10 recruiting class for the 2013 season, headlined by seven NC commits thus far. Not to diminish Fedoras efforts but if he has done all this before his first ever game on the Tar Heel sidelines. What in the world was Butch Davis and Everett Withers doing during their time in Chapel Hill?
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