On Friday nights at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, Norkeithus Otis established himself as one of the top defensive ends in the nation, with his No. 8 jersey being the first thing quarterbacks saw when they got up after a sack.
But when he arrived in Chapel Hill as a freshman to play for the North Carolina football team, he was not only given a new number but also a new position as a converted linebacker.
Now a junior, Otis is back in his coveted No. 8 jersey after wearing No. 52 for two seasons, embracing a fresh start in yet another new position as UNC’s bandit.
“I was very excited. Eight is my favorite number because my godbrother, who actually plays for ECU — Ezekiel Bigger, No. 44 — he told me in high school, ‘Hey, change to number eight’,” Otis said. “I always asked him why and he said, ‘Eight means new beginning.’
“This year I felt like it was going to be a new beginning for me, so I changed my number to eight.”
With the changing of the guard in UNC’s coaching staff at the end of his first year as a Tar Heel, Otis entered his sophomore season in 2012 having to learn the ins and outs of the bandit position.
While Otis appeared in 10 games for the Tar Heels last season as a bandit, recording just three tackles, one sack and a forced fumble, senior defensive end Kareem Martin said he and the defense didn’t know what to expect out of the junior heading into this year.
But since proving his worth in training camp by winning out the starting bandit job, Otis has done nothing short of impress. After three games, he leads the Tar Heels in tackles for loss, sacks and forced fumbles, having provided a respected sense of energy to the team’s defense.
“When you see a guy like him, running to the ball when he’s tired but still giving his all, it makes you want to give your extra effort — not to let him down,” Martin said.
