Head east, young Huard

Sporting News, The, Feb 2, 1998 by Craig Hill

While driving to the mall last October to pick up his tuxedo for a homecoming dance, Luke Huard could feel the pressure building. He wasn't worried about looking good for his date. It was this recruiting stuff--it was driving him crazy.

What's it going to be, Luke? Are you going to follow the path your older quarterbacking brothers, Damon and Brock, blazed to the University of Washington, or are you going to take your big arm and promise to a different campus?

It was enough to make Luke pound his head against the steering wheel while waiting at a stoplight on the way to the mall. When the light turned green Huard looked up--and there was his answer. The car in front of him had North Carolina license plates. Someone was sending the deeply religious Huard a message, right? After all, what were the odds of pulling up behind a car with North Carolina plates while driving around Puyallup, a small town near Tacoma, Wash.?

"It's not like that was why I made my decision," Huard said. "But I saw the plates, and it was like a sign from God that North Carolina was the right place for me to be."

Huard (pronounced HUE-urd) gave a verbal commitment to the Tar Heels the next day, which aborted the nagging questions that had hounded him during the recruiting process. Free to concentrate on leading Puyallup High, the 6-4, 212-pound Huard proceeded to throw for 2,635 yards and 39 touchdowns en route to pacing the Vikings to the state semifinals.

"I think he was relieved to have made that decision," said Mike Huard, who groomed his sons as coach of Puyallup High. "Then things got a little crazy."

The zaniness started on December 4. That's when the Huard family became the hottest story in the Northwest. First, the man Luke had pledged allegiance to, North Carolina coach Mack Brown, left the Tar Heels for Texas. Next, Mike Huard announced he would resign following a legendary 17-year coaching career. That evening, the story broke that Brock Huard, a star sophomore quarterback at Washington, had applied to the NFL Draft Advisory Committee to discover where he might be selected if he opted to enter the pros.

"It's always hectic around here, but it got to be a little overkill," said Peggy Huard, Luke's mom. "Everybody had a crisis."

What would Luke do? He was sure North Carolina was perfect for him, but now he wasn't sure with Brown gone. Worse yet, the recruiting was going to begin again. That would mean more questions, the kind Luke hated. It didn't seem fair.

As soon as Brown left North Carolina, the Huard's phone started ringing. In a senior class that abounds with terrific quarterback prospects from coast to coast, many schools jumped at the chance to sign one. The Huskies were the first to caD, but Luke still was determined to avoid the legacy his older brothers had established at Washington. Luke-who some feel may be a notch below his brothers talent-wise-was tempted when Penn State, Tennessee and Northwestern called, and he even considered following Brown to Texas.

"Like Brock, Luke has the same super strong arm, competitive nature and superior decision-making qualities," recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said. "He has a linebacker's mentality and runs very well. He has all the tools for greatness."

Luke had met Brown in 1995, when the Huard family gave Brown and his wife a tour of the Washington campus while the coach was in the Seattle-area to watch the Tar Heels play in the Final Four. That was when Luke began to realize he wanted to play for Brown. Later, on a family trip to North Carolina, the Huards stopped by the UNC campus to see Brown. The bond was growing, but now Brown was in Texas. Did Huard want to follow?

"The bottom line was I committed to North Carolina, not coach Brown," Huard said. "I felt like I needed to talk to the new coach before I made any decisions."

In December, he did that on his official recruiting visit to North Carolina.

"When coach Brown left, I had to go through a lot of that recruiting stuff I thought I was done with," Huard said. "That trip was one of those things, but now I'm really glad I went"

Huard wasn't familiar with new Tar Heels coach Carl Torbush, who was promoted from defensive coordinator, or sure if he'd be the best influence for a young quarterback.

"But once I talked to some of the players, I was sold that coach Torbush is going to be a great guy to play for," said Huard, who likely will redshirt in 1998 with senior Oscar Davenport back for the 11-1 Tar Heels. "He said we'd throw the ball 35 times a game, and that's what I want to do."

When Huard heard that every recruit who had given an oral commitment to Brown had recommitted to Torbush, then watched the Tar Heels demolish Virginia Tech, 42-3, in the Gator Bowl, he knew he wouldn't need anymore divine intervention to reaffirm his commitment to the Tar Heels.

"There was no way I was going to be the only guy who changed his mind," Huard said. "It became pretty clear that this was going to be a great place to play because all the players believe in the coach.