Time for Curry to Leave Football

When Ronald Curry arrived to UNC in the fall of 1997, he came in as one of the most highly touted football recruits in history in addition to being the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American basketball game. Curry, even more than the fans, had high hopes for his future; so high that Curry as well as the experts predicted that he wouldn’t be on campus for four years. Three years later we can honestly say that Curry is going nowhere fast.

Three years ago Curry’s biggest decision rested with where his profession sports future lay. He entered the football season and found himself starting most games due to an injury to then starting QB Oscar Davenport. Curry was dazzling with his long-range accuracy and quickness. A late start landed him a small role on the basketball team where Curry never found his stroke or his place in the coach’s scheme.

Curry’s sophomore year started out where the previous football season left off. Of course he dazzled, but the team floundered and lost several games. Then a devastating injury happened in the Geogia Tech game. An Achilles Tendon snap landed Curry the Quarterback out for the season and Curry the Point Guard redshirted for the season.

Enter Curry the Junior Quarterback. After starting with promise, the Torbush-led Heels are just as they were the previous seasons; long on talent and short on wins. While Curry’s ability to nail the long bomb would even impress General Norman Schwartzkopf, his dazzling juke is gone since the injury. What’s most problematic, however, is Curry’s wild short-passing game. This is the essence of a pro quarterback, and with Curry’s short to medium range accuracy paling in comparison to pro failures Jason Stanicek and Chris Keldorf, it is time to wonder about Curry’s future as a football star.

While several key factors will play in Curry’s decision of which sport to pursue, the most important has to be in the future of UNC Football Head Coach Carl Torbush. Turmoil is putting it mildly. With Torbush facing the real possibility of another losing season, even the most optimistic of Tar Heel fans have to wonder who Carolina’s coach will be next season. A new coach would mean a new offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, the second in two years. Keeping Torbush leaves a dismal future as well, as he will likely have less talent and a more difficult schedule. Does it serve Curry the Point Guard well to go another season getting pummeled behind a sieve of an offensive line? Absolutely not.

Certainly Curry’s best professional hopes lie in basketball, if not for the lack of overwhelming negatives that encumber Curry the Quarterback. While Curry’s loss of lightning quickness will be felt on the basketball court as it was on the gridiron, he still has talents we haven’t seen since the old days of high school basketball. Curry also has a golden opportunity. The loss of Ed Cota to graduation leaves the Tar Heels’ point guard position wide open. Perfect!

With such a golden opportunity facing Curry, it would behoove him to switch to basketball as soon as possible. The possibility of losing Saturday against an angry and talented Pittsburgh football team is quite real, and will guarantee the football Tar Heels a losing season. All that lies beyond Saturday for the football team are unimportant games against other conference dogs, Maryland and Duke, and the real possibility of a garbage time injury. For Curry the Quarterback those games mean nothing and are not worth the incredibly important lost time with the basketball team.

In the best interest of Curry and the University, Curry’s switch to basketball as a career should occur on Sunday morning. The basketball team needs to find its stride sometime before it is given an honorary NCAA Tournament berth this season. Curry the Sophomore point guard needs to find his stride even sooner. Remember: he has some high hopes to fulfill.