In recent years, defense has been a pretty glaring weak spot for the UNC football team.
It appeared to be fixed early in the 2023 season, but that was short-lived. The Tar Heels had plenty of talent on defense, headlined by linebackers Cedric Gray and Kaimon Rucker, but former defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was never able to get the most out of them.
One of the best defensive players to come out of UNC, however, was Julius Peppers (1999-2001). He had a penchant for getting after the opposing quarterback, as Peppers ranks second all-time in program history with 30.5 sacks. Peppers also knew how to wrap up ballcarriers, recording 167 career tackles.
Peppers’ NFL career was even more impressive, as he played 10 of his 17 season with the Carolina Panthers. Peppers ranks fourth in NFL history with 159.5 sacks, totaled 716 tackles, intercepted 11 passes, scored four touchdowns and played in 266 of 272 games (sixth-most by a defensive player).
Peppers was an even more dangerous sack machine in the NFL, notching seven in every season but his final one in 2018. I still wonder if Peppers could contribute today, despite being 44.
You might be wondering – with a resumé that impressive, will Peppers find himself enshrined in Canton, Ohio’s Pro Football Hall of Fame?
No doubt.
On Thursday, Feb. 8, Peppers was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of the NFL Honors Ceremony in Las Vegas, Nev.