CHAPEL HILL Marvin Austin doesn't do anything small. He stands 6-foot-3. Owns a necklace as thick as a rope. Can bench press 480 pounds. Boasts at least a half-dozen pairs of oversized aviator shades. And, according to several teammates, has the lung capacity to out-talk just about anyone.
The largest part of the North Carolina defensive tackle's personality – and game – is his determination. That's another mammoth reason he's on track to lead the Tar Heels defense out of obscurity, and perhaps to a bowl.
And thus become, fittingly, North Carolina's Next Big Thing.
“When I put my hand down, I feel like a giant out there,” said Austin, a 300-pound sophomore whose team will open the season against McNeese State tonight. “I don't care how big you are, how fast you work. If you're stronger than me, I'll out-think you. If you're smart, I'll overpower you. If you're fast, I'm going to be quicker than you. Every time I'm out there, I'm just going to figure out how to be better than you.
“I'm going to do whatever I can to help my team win.”
It's that sentiment that led him to Chapel Hill from Washington, D.C., last season as new coach Butch Davis' first five-star Tar Heel recruit.
Rated the top defensive tackle prospect in the nation by scout.com, he could have played at Florida State, Tennessee or Southern California, all schools with national championship histories.
Instead, he was lured by the prospect of playing for Davis, who had been to Super Bowls, and by John Blake, whom he considers the best defensive line coach in the country.
Then there was the prospect of something even broader: reviving a defense and program that had nosedived to the bottom of the ACC standings since the beginning of the decade.
The guy with big potential saw a team with big possibilities. It was a challenge he couldn't resist.
“One of the dreams, for me, is to turn this thing around, to be remembered as one of the guys who helped bring Carolina back,” he said, shoulder-length dreadlocks bouncing with emphasis.
Nothing shy about Austin
Upon arrival in North Carolina, Austin immediately impressed his teammates, and opponents, with his megawatt grin, '80s style, and ability to speed through double teams with the force of a Mack truck. His flamboyance and self-assurance stood out.
“You've got to have that confidence and swagger, and the opponent in front of you has no chance,” said Hilee Taylor, a senior last season who is now with the NFL's Carolina Panthers. “If you've got that, you've already won and you're a step ahead.”
Davis referred to Austin last season as a “lightning rod,” a guy with an electric personality in the way he played, conducted himself, inspired other people. Initially, he was shocking.
“When he first got here, I was like, ‘What in the world kind of monster is this?'” said cornerback Kendric Burney, a redshirt sophomore. “But once you got to know Marvin, he's funny and great to be around. And he's a team player who wants this team to go to the ACC championship – and to bigger things, the national championship.”
For all the considerable goals, there was also a sizeable learning curve last season, what with finally being surrounded by guys his size or bigger. In the past, Austin said, he never looked up to many people, because he frankly didn't have to.
Then he met Kentwan Balmer, now a rookie with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, a guy big enough (6-foot-5, 295) to take him under his wing.
“Physically, me and Kentwan were probably on the same level in the weight room last year, but he had the knowledge, the experience, the technique,” Austin said.
“Just going out there and seeing how he practiced, how he took coaching, how he interacted with players and coaches and how they loved to be around him, it just helped me see what I wanted to become, and where I want to go with my football career.”
As a result, Austin has taken over more of a leadership role on the young defense this season, doing for many of the freshmen what Balmer did for him: Offering rides when they're stuck, a few bucks when they're short, and encouragement (or a kick in the tail) when it's needed.
In addition, after starting three games last season and finishing with 26 tackles and four sacks, he spent the offseason working on his technique, strength and football savvy. Anything to make a bigger impact.
Efforts show on the field
Davis calls his improvement “daylight to dawn.”
“Last year,” the coach said, “we really tried to make a concerted effort to find little niche things that he could do and go in and just play on God-given athletic ability – put him in nickel situations and just say, ‘Marvin, race up the field and go after the quarterback.'
“And as the season went along, he got more structured, started to understand fundamentals and techniques. And now he's pretty good at all phases.”
That's a good thing because with Balmer and Taylor gone, Austin becomes the cornerstone of a defense that wants to improve significantly after giving up 142.5 rushing yards (51st in the nation) and 24.5 points (43rd) per game last season.
“A breakout season for him and the rest of our defensive line … could mean a breakout season for us,” Burney said. “Because with him putting pressure on the quarterback, stopping the run, getting the ball out of the quarterback's hands quick … that allows the secondary to sit back more, get more interceptions. It begins with the big guys.”
To that end, Austin, who wears a size XL helmet, said he's not putting any pressure on himself to be a star. He'd like to play in the NFL one day, but the only way to get there is to keep improving, and thus be part of a team that wins.
“There's nobody bigger than the team,” he said. “The game has been here before you, and it will be here long after you. So I just try to know my place in the game.”
Which, like his passion, personality and potential, is ever-growing.
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