Jabari Price wants respect.
North Carolina’s cornerback doesn’t necessarily want veneration from fans or other teams, but he does want it from the 65 college football sportswriters and broadcasters across the nation whose votes make up the Associated Press top 25 poll.
“We’re not really getting no respect,” Price said. “As you can see, we’re 5-1 and we’re still not ranked.”
But not every Tar Heel shares that sense of urgency. Offensive lineman James Hurst and others seem content to let the polls develop.
“We try not to pay attention to that stuff,” he said. “Obviously, we do see that stuff, but it’s not that big of a deal to us.”
Price said the Tar Heels talk about their lack of national respect all the time, and if he or UNC wants it, Price knows exactly what the Tar Heels will have to do.
“In order to make a statement to the world, we have to show up in the end of the season right here, right now,” he said.
And he’s right.
The Tar Heels’ final six games pit them against four winning squads — three of which are one-loss teams.
“You see, teams like Virginia Tech, they’re 5-1, but they’re ranked,” Price said. “Obviously, being ranked is not a big deal to me, but it shows a sign of disrespect to me, personally. I feel like we’re one of the better teams in the country right now.”
