http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/players/tj_thorpe/150328 Recent articles about T.J. Thorpe en-us For many years I used to watch NBC’s Today Show, and one of my favorite segments was “Where in the world is Matt Lauer”, a week long series where the host of the show traveled all over the planet making the rest of the hosts guess where he was. After three weeks of North Carolina football I like to do my own version of that segment by simply asking “Where in the world is Giovani Bernard”, since I am pretty sure everyone wants to know and all are trying to guess. And the reason that the media and the fan base should know is because this situation went from the following comments by the head coach and the back, suffered a sprain MCL, after Elon… “He could have gone back in,” Fedora said. “There was no reason to put him back in, though.” …and the tail back himself said that… “I feel good, I feel great,” he said. “[It was] just a little precautionary kind of thing – I feel good.” …to now two games, Wake Forest and Louisville, without his services. Before the second game of the Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:33:59 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_football_where_in_the_world_is_gio_bernard/11735344 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_football_where_in_the_world_is_gio_bernard/11735344 North Carolina Football: Where in the world is Gio Bernard? http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/north_carolina_football_where_in_the_world_is_gio_bernard/11735344 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Fall camp is in full swing, which also means the injuries are starting to roll in.  Here are some noteworthy injuries to monitor as the season draws closer. Mario Pender, Florida State- Head coach Jimbo Fisher came out last week to announce that the stud freshman would miss the entire 2012 because of a groin injury. With a full spring practice behind him, Pender was already impressing coaches enough that he was expected to get a significant amount of carries this coming season. This boosts the fantasy stock for Chris Thompson and Devonta Freeman. Chris Black, Alabama- Black, one of the team’s top up-and-coming playmakers, suffered a shoulder injury in practice and will now miss up to four months. The freshman was already making waves in spring camp, and had a successful spring with three catches for 61 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception. This opens the door for other young receivers such as Amari Cooper and Christion Jones to see the field immediately. Deontae Cooper... Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:33:46 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/college_fantasy_football_injury_report_august_13/11446762 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/college_fantasy_football_injury_report_august_13/11446762 College Fantasy Football: Injury Report, August 13 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/college_fantasy_football_injury_report_august_13/11446762 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Here we go, the last set of player rankings in the ACC. Here take a look at the kickers, punters, and kick returners that can change the face of a game. Completed Rankings Running Backs | Quarterbacks | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Linemen | Defensive Linemen | Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties 1) Dustin Hopkins, Florida State Haven’t these rankings been dotted with Florida State players? Here is another one, Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins is arguably the best senior place kicker in the nation. He was Lou Groza award finalist last year is on the Groza award watch list for 2012. He could end the year as the ACC’s All-Time leading scorer. 2) T.J. Thorpe, North Carolina Thorpe is the ACC’s leading returning kick returner from last season. He averaged nearly 27 yards a return with a 100 yard TD return. He’s only sophomore and you may seem him top this list next season. 3) Sammy Watkins, Clemson Sammy Watkins is well know for exploits as a Wide Receiver, but he’s also a very good kic Sun, 12 Aug 2012 17:49:19 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ranking_the_5_best_special_teams_players_in_the_acc/11439790 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ranking_the_5_best_special_teams_players_in_the_acc/11439790 Ranking the 5 best Special Teams Players in the ACC http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ranking_the_5_best_special_teams_players_in_the_acc/11439790 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Here we go, the last set of player rankings in the ACC. Here take a look at the kickers, punters, and kick returners that can change the face of a game. Completed Rankings Running Backs | Quarterbacks | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Linemen | Defensive Linemen | Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties 1) Dustin Hopkins, Florida State Haven’t these rankings been dotted with Florida State players? Here is another one, Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins is arguably the best senior place kicker in the nation. He was Lou Groza award finalist last year is on the Groza award watch list for 2012. He could end the year as the ACC’s All-Time leading scorer. 2) T.J. Thorpe, North Carolina Thorpe is the ACC’s leading returning kick returner from last season. He averaged nearly 27 yards a return with a 100 yard TD return. He’s only sophomore and you may seem him top this list next season. 3) Sammy Watkins, Clemson Sammy Watkins is well know for exploits as a Wide Receiver, but he’s also a very good kick Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:55:38 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ranking_the_5_best_special_teams_players_in_the_acc_for_2012/11439058 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ranking_the_5_best_special_teams_players_in_the_acc_for_2012/11439058 Ranking the 5 best Special Teams Players in the ACC for 2012. http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ranking_the_5_best_special_teams_players_in_the_acc_for_2012/11439058 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Looking around some on the internet I found some tidbits about today’s North Carolina football practice. At least the open session of it. First off from the News & Observer the report that T.J. Thorpe, who I posted about having had a foot injury, was at the practice, his broken foot in a boot. From the same article you will see of other players either not practicing or wearing the orange/red jersey, which means limited work outs. Over at the News & Record it talks a bit more about the sophomore return man and also gives the depth chart that they could make out from the thirty minutes they were allowed in. They also have a video of some of the practice… This was the first practice in pads for the Tar Heels, which means we are getting closer and closer to the beginning of the season. Unfortunately it also means there is less and less time for this squad to hone in on what they need to do, and make sure that there are no more injuries along the way. After practice, from an ar... Tue, 07 Aug 2012 19:48:46 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_football_notes_from_open_practice_of_august_8th/11401060 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_football_notes_from_open_practice_of_august_8th/11401060 North Carolina Football: Notes from open practice of August 8th http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/north_carolina_football_notes_from_open_practice_of_august_8th/11401060 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Thorpe sidelined with a foot injury, but not sure for how long If there was one thing that the North Carolina football team did not have this season it would be depth. Unfortunately for head coach Larry Fedora and his staff their team just took another hit in that department. Even before the season started line backer Darius Lipford went down to an injury that will keep him out the whole season. Now, from what is being reported around the internet, sophomore wide receiver and return man T.J. Thorpe is out with a foot injury. And while North Carolina’s policy is not to talk about injuries, it seems that the injury is a serious one, and the only thing now is to see how long the young man will be out for. In 2011 the kick returner for interim coach Everett Withers had 960 return yards, leading the whole conference with a 26.7 return average. Thorpe’s play on the field got him as a finalist for the Johnny Rodgers Award, awarded to the top return specialist in college football, ... Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:22:07 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_football_tj_thorpe_out_with_a_foot_injury/11397850 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_football_tj_thorpe_out_with_a_foot_injury/11397850 North Carolina Football: TJ Thorpe out with a foot injury http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/north_carolina_football_tj_thorpe_out_with_a_foot_injury/11397850 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png CHAPEL HILL, N.C. --- North Carolina sophomore T.J. Thorpe suffered a serious foot injury in practice that will sideline him for an extended period of time, according to sources close to the situation. Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:36:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/thorpe_sidelined/11384392 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/thorpe_sidelined/11384392 Thorpe Sidelined http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/thorpe_sidelined/11384392 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Johnny Rodgers believes it's time return specialists in college football get their due. Best known for his electrifying kick returns as the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner at Nebraska, Rodgers on Tuesday announced a new postseason award for the top kick or punt return man in college football. Rodgers said the Johnny ''The Jet'' Rodgers Award should gain the prestige of awards such as the Butkus for linebackers, the Jim Thorpe for defensive backs or the Outland for linemen. ''If you're walking by a store or anywhere they have televisions and they have highlights on for special teams, everybody stops and watches,'' he said. ''This has the ability to create a lot of awareness for guys who haven't gained recognition throughout college football.'' The trophy was designed and cast by Omaha artist Joe Putjenter and depicts Rodgers slipping out of the grasp of Oklahoma's Greg Pruitt on the 72-yard punt return that was the signature play of Nebraska's Tue, 27 Mar 2012 21:32:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/top_return_man_to_receive_rodgers_award/10420042 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/top_return_man_to_receive_rodgers_award/10420042 Top return man to receive Rodgers Award http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/top_return_man_to_receive_rodgers_award/10420042 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png A new college football award named after Nebraska Heisman Trophy winner Johnny ''The Jet'' Rodgers will be given to the nation's top return specialist. Rodgers won the Heisman in 1972 and is regarded as one of the top punt and kick returners in college football history. The winner for the 2011 award will be selected by Rodgers and announced Thursday. Rodgers said at a news conference Tuesday that national media members will be enlisted to select future winners. The 2011 finalists are Arkansas' Joe Adams, Texas A&M's Dustin Harris, LSU's Tyrann Mathieu and North Carolina's T.J. Thorpe. The winner and his family will receive the award at an April 12 banquet in Omaha. Rodgers said an award for return specialists is long overdue. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:01:02 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/top_return_man_to_be_honored_with_rodgers_award/10414588 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/top_return_man_to_be_honored_with_rodgers_award/10414588 Top return man to be honored with Rodgers Award http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/top_return_man_to_be_honored_with_rodgers_award/10414588 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png North Carolina's off-season was spent dealing with a good bit of off the field issues. Adding to those issues was the firing of Butch Davis on July 27th. The timing of the firing left the Tar Heels in a difficult place as the season was just around the corner. The Tar Heels promoted their Defensive Coordinator, Everett Withers, to the an "interim" Head Coach position to help guide the Heels through the season. UNC came out the box pretty good as they won 5 of their first 6. Once conference play really kicked up, the Tar Heels weren't quite as lucky. They only won two of their last seven including an ugly 13-0 loss to NC State and a high-scoring 59-38 loss to Clemson. With the NCAA cloud above their heads, the Tar Heels finished the season with a whimper. Since the season has ended UNC has hired Larry Fedora as their Head Coach. 2012 will be an interesting year for the Tar Heels as they should get resolution from the NCAA and we will also see how successful Fedor... Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:00:09 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_tar_heels_2011_exit_survey/9374228 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/north_carolina_tar_heels_2011_exit_survey/9374228 North Carolina Tar Heels: 2011 Exit Survey http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/north_carolina_tar_heels_2011_exit_survey/9374228 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/2/5255c3c64c00a252346241a6e291730f132945e5/mini/lsu-north-carolina.jpg (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)North Carolina senior receiver Dwight Jones has been reinstated by the NCAA and will play in the Independence Bowl, according to a school spokesman.Jones was declared ineligible by the university after it learned that he allowed his name and picture to be used on a flier promoting a party.Jones caught 79 passes for 1,119 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His reinstatement means that the Tar Heels don’t have to depend on true freshman kick returner T.J. Thorpe. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:00:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/uncs_jones_reinstated/8887732 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/uncs_jones_reinstated/8887732 UNC’s Jones Reinstated http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/uncs_jones_reinstated/8887732 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png RB Gio Bernard, LB Zach Brown and DE Quinton Coples were named to the All-ACC First Team by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association. WR Dwight Jones, OG James Hurst and OT Jonathan Cooper were tapped for the second team. Receiving honorable mention were DT Tydreke Powell and specialist T.J. Thorpe The ACC’s official site has the full list here. Gio Bernard capped off a brilliant rookie campaign on Saturday with 165 yards versus Duke which earned him rookie of the week honors. Bernard finished the regular season with 1222 yards for 101.8 yards per game and 13 touchdowns. He became the first Tar Heel in 14 years to eclipse the 1000 yard mark in rushing. Quinton Coples followed up his All-ACC performance from a year ago with his second straight appearance on the first team. Coples finished the season with 51 tackles, 13 of them for a loss and 7.5 sacks. Linebacker Zach Brown was an absolute beast all season leading the Heels in tackles with 91. Brown had 11.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and two interce Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:26:36 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/six_heels_named_all_acc/8382739 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/six_heels_named_all_acc/8382739 Six Heels Named All-ACC http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/six_heels_named_all_acc/8382739 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/f/9ffa7a266e65ea3b8c855eefe357a6bce06dc05a/mini/GettyImage.ashx_url_http_3a_2f_2fcache.gettyimages.com_2fxc_2f91732034.jpg_3fv_3d1_26c_3dEWSAsset_26k_3d2_26d_3d77BFBA49EF878921CC759DF4EBAC47D06B40D47CAD9E4DDB59AAB76CE6DF7488B00EC576654A4A32.jpg North Carolina placed eight players on the 2011 All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams as selected by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). Tailback Giovani Bernard, defensive end Quinton Coples and linebacker Zach Brown were named to the first team, while wide receiver Dwight Jones, offensive tackle James Hurst and offensive guard Jonathan Cooper were named second team. Kickoff return man T.J. Thorpe and defensive tackle Tydreke Powell were selected honorable mention. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:52:39 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/tar_heels_place_eight_on_all_acc_teams/8377993 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/tar_heels_place_eight_on_all_acc_teams/8377993 Tar Heels Place Eight On All-ACC Teams http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/tar_heels_place_eight_on_all_acc_teams/8377993 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png North Carolina placed eight players on the 2011 All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams as selected by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). Tailback Giovani Bernard, defensive end Quinton Coples and linebacker Zach Brown were named to the first team, while wide receiver Dwight Jones, offensive tackle James Hurst and offensive guard Jonathan Cooper were named second team. Kickoff return man T.J. Thorpe and defensive tackle Tydreke Powell were selected honorable mention. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:52:39 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/football_tar_heels_place_eight_on_all_acc_teams/8377990 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/football_tar_heels_place_eight_on_all_acc_teams/8377990 Football. Tar Heels Place Eight On All-ACC Teams http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/football_tar_heels_place_eight_on_all_acc_teams/8377990 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png North Carolina freshman T.J. Thorpe has been named the ACC Specialist of the Week for his performance vs. Clemson. He also earned recognition as the national kickoff returner of the week by College Football Performance Awards. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:44:21 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/thorpe_named_acc_specialist_of_the_week/7623217 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/thorpe_named_acc_specialist_of_the_week/7623217 Thorpe Named ACC Specialist Of The Week http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/thorpe_named_acc_specialist_of_the_week/7623217 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png