There's a play I read once — the name excapes me — about reinventing oneself. A man leaves a small country town and assumes a new role in the city; another man goes about it the opposite way. What better analogue for the offseason movements of college football players today? Even better, after numerous humerous situations and covers (cover?) blown, everyone ends up happy. I do love a happy ending.
Over four games so far this season, Jelani Thurman has averaged exactly four catches per game, and has looked like the most consistent target for quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., as Jordan Shipp has understandably often been the focus of opposing defenses and had up-and-down outings as a result. While Shipp is still the leading receiver for the Tar Heels this season (averaging five catches per game), Shipp isn't even a slant rhyme for Earnest, so we're talking about the tight end today.
Thurman transferred to Carolina this season (ostensibly to reinvent himself) after a couple of seasons in Columbus, Ohio, and has already eclipsed his Ohio State career numbers through the first four games of this season. In fact, if his production tomorrow is as steady as it has been thus far (four catches, 60ish yards, the lion's share of a touchdown), he will have doubled his career numbers. He tallied 144 yards across three previous seasons (one of which, to be fair, was a redshirt year) with Ohio State; he's already caught for 233 in just four games as a Tar Heel.
It's one of the sunnier aspects of the new college football landscape; guys can find opportunities elsewhere to become something new. Of course, anyone who leaves Carolina for other opportunities simply didn't have the ability to hack it at the highest level, whereas transfers in were just looking for the right fit to really shine. That, at least, is something that remains unchanged. Thurman is a wonderful example of someone finding the right fit.
That consistent production out of the tight end position isn't something that we ought to overlook, and opposing defensive coordinators do so at their peril. When the guy taking the snap isn't a world-beater — with all due respect to Edwards — the steady hands and dependable production from Thurman have to make things a whole lot easier, and his speed at the top of his route combined with his size make him a matchup problem for defenders. When the passing game is functioning properly — with all due respect to Edwards — the tandem of Thurman and Shipp can be a tough puzzle to solve for opposing defenses.
As I said above, I do love happy endings. This season, despite its pitfalls and near-misses, is still being written. Jelani Thurman has been a big part of the story thus far, and I earnestly hope it continues.
