By Savannah Britt, Timothy Daye Jr., and Andre’ Payne
Senior, Nic Platt, number 86, is living his football dream at UNC-Chapel Hill. Although being a wide receiver for the Tar Heels puts some serious wear and tear on his body he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“I love football and these guys are like my family, over 100 guys and I love ‘em all,” Platt said.
Nic displays all the qualities of a well-rounded student athlete. He is currently working towards a degree in business as an econ major. Nic is also taking summer classes, and striving to boost up his GPA to finish his senior year strong. Originally from Miami, Fla., Nic was an all-state quarterback for his high school team. “Being a quarterback gave me a feel for what it takes to be a leader,” Platt said.
Nic started college at William & Mary and later transferred to his dream school UNC to run track with a 4.3-40 yard dash. But ever since the 5th grade football has been Nic’s true passion so it wasn’t long before he joined the team.
“I always thought Carolina was the perfect combination of everything,” Platt said. Nic shared that the team is doing summer training, waking up at 6 a.m. every morning and going hard all day to prepare for the best season possible. The first game is August 29th against the South Carolina Gamecocks and will be aired on ESPN. This year the Tar Heels goal is to win the ACC Coastal Division and hopefully wind up in the championship.
Balancing an academic and athletic life can become tough when one gets out of practice feeling dead, and barely able to walk…but Nic pulls it off with a smile. Football is a huge commitment and leaves athletes with little extra time on their schedule.
“I would tell future athletes coming to Carolina that you have to get through it mentally because its not easy at all…but eventually, knowing that your teammates are right there with you really helps,” Platt said.
Talented both on and off the field, Nic will have no problem living up to the UNC legacy and being successful in the rest of his life. Whether it is scoring in front of 60,000 screaming fans or earning an A in the classroom, he will stop at nothing to achieve greatness.
“The feeling of running out on the field with everybody cheering us on is insane,” said Platt. “Your hearts pounding, you can barely hear yourself think and it really is unbelievable.”