Williams was the quarterback for one of the best teams in UNC football history, one that reeled off 11 straight victories en route to a No. 15 ranking in the AP poll to end the 2015 season. But his visit to Chapel Hill was more than a trip down memory lane — it was a reminder of how far the program has come.
Since arriving in 2011, Coach Larry Fedora has turned around a once-troubled program. Williams’ visit signifies that Fedora’s long-term vision for the team is taking root.
“I want to make sure that they know they are welcome here and that they are loved,” Fedora said of his former players. “This is their home and they built this place. Not me. They’re the ones who did it.”
Fedora is preparing this week for his final home game with a group of seniors. This graduating class, as much as any, is responsible for the new direction that Fedora sees the program heading in.
“If you guys look back to when we were recruiting them, there was a lot of negativity surrounding this program in every aspect,” he said. “These guys are the ones who, when we went into their homes and their schools, they bought in. They wanted to change things here, and they have.”
One major piece of the Tar Heels’ turnaround has been senior cornerback Des Lawrence. Lawrence had many offers from big Division-I programs coming out of Charlotte Christian High School, but he chose to remain in North Carolina and has become one of UNC’s best defensive players.
Lawrence knows the Tar Heels can’t be swept up by emotions when they face N.C. State on Friday.
“I think that State alone, being rivals, is going to make sure it’s not really a distraction,” Lawrence said.
