T.J. Leifheit talks about his Tar Heels commitment

Wilmington Hoggard all-America offensive tackle T.J. Leifheit just took a few minutes out of his weight-lifting class to talk about his commitment to North Carolina:

YOU NARROWED IT DOWN TO UNC, TENNESSEE AND SOUTHERN CAL; WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE?: “It just felt like home when I was up there for my visit this past weekend. I’ve got a number of friends there. And I have a great relationship with (O-line coach) Sam Pittman. We talked on the phone probably two or three times a week for the past year.”

YOU RECENTLY VISITED TENNESSEE TWICE. WERE YOU LEANING THAT WAY FOR A TIME?: “I was a little bit; I really liked it there. And I liked Southern Cal, because of all the tradition and the fact that they’ve put so many offensive linemen in the pros. But after this (Chapel Hill) trip, I just felt like Carolina was the right place for me.”

HOW IS UNC PLANNING TO USE YOU?: “They said they’ll start me off at tackle—left tackle. They’ll try me there first. And they told me that since I’m going to enroll in January (and will participate in spring practice), I have a great chance to earn early playing time.”

ARE YOUR GRADES HOLDING UP OKAY?: “I’ve got all ‘As’ this semester, and a 3.8 grade-point average overall.”

YOU COMMITED TO (HEAD COACH) BUTCH DAVIS SUNDAY MORNING. WHAT HAD HE TOLD YOU? “I knew that he had rebuilt Miami, and he said the rebuilding program at North Carolina is two years ahead of where it was at the same time in Miami. I had talked to Coach Pittman a lot about being part of rebuilding at Carolina, getting the program where we want it to be. That means a lot to me.”

--Stan Olson