By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Coming into the season, Demon June was just another name in North Carolina’s running back room. On Saturday, “Juju” was the name.
The true freshman running back from Jacksonville, N.C., exploded for 148 yards and a touchdown in UNC’s 41–6 rout Saturday of Richmond, becoming the program’s first true freshman to lead the team in rushing in back-to-back games since Michael Carter in 2017.
For the 5–11, 215-pound June, the night was the payoff for a quiet but determined rise since he arrived on campus in January as an early enrollee after running for 4,741 yards and 84 touchdowns during his four-year career at Jacksonville High School.
- Check out a photo gallery from the game.
- Big day from defense, June help UNC thump Richmond|
- Read Doc Kennedy’s Good, Bad and Ugly Report
A three-star recruit, he began camp at the bottom of the running back depth chart, but ran nine times for 52 yards when he got his first offensive snaps in the win at Charlotte a week earlier. Even after that team-leading performance, he wasn’t one of the three running backs listed UNC’s depth chart before the Richmond game.
“You don’t really focus on things like that,” June said.
He started against Richmond after working his way up the depth chart past sophomore Davion “Bullet” Gause, senior Caleb Hood and redshirt sophomore Benjamin Hall.
“You just play your game, stay down, try to stay consistent day by day,” June said. “It’s good, competitive in the room with guys like Bullet and Hoodie and Ben — just having them push me every day to be able to showcase this stuff.”
That mindset has defined June since his high school days at Jacksonville, where he starred as a physical, punishing back. As a senior, he produced a six-touchdown game that made him one of the state’s most exciting recruits.
When former coach Mack Brown’s staff initially offered him a scholarship, June committed to the Tar Heels early — and stayed committed after Coach Bill Belichick and his staff arrived.
“Being a North Carolina kid, you just always wanted to play for them,” June said. “When Coach Brown left and Coach Belichick came, it just felt like, ‘OK, here’s another obstacle you have to go through.’ But you stay down, stay consistent, and trust the process and trust the man above with whatever He wants to happen for you. You go with that.”
June’s 50-yard burst in the first half was UNC’s longest run by a freshman since Omarion Hampton went 48 yards against Georgia State three years ago. And he wasn’t done — he added a 19-yard catch that set up another score.
“He’s earned it,” Belichick said. “Nobody gave him anything. He’s had some opportunities, and he’s made some yards on his own — and that’s a big thing. Short-yardage play was really a good run. We didn’t really block it that well, there’s two unblocked guys near the hole, and he made them miss and turned it into a long run.”
June’s style, a straight-ahead, no-nonsense approach with the ability to break tackles, has been a perfect fit in Belichick’s offense.
“As far as going north and south, that’s the fastest way to get somewhere,” he said. “So, when you’re trying to score, you just put your head down and run as hard as you can. Don’t let nothing stop you.”
That fearless mentality has helped him turn small gains into explosive plays. Belichick said it’s a skill that’s already setting him apart.
“He can step through some soft tackles,” said Belichick, who called June a strong one-cut runner. “It’s hard to bring him down with an arm tackle. That’s his style — get a crease, accelerate through it, and make yards after contact.”
June said he learned some of that approach from watching Hampton, who led the Tar Heels in rushing the past two seasons.
“Watching him as a recruit just gave me something to chase for and try to be like,” June said.
Saturday wasn’t just about yards — it was about validation.
“If you told me before the game I’d have a day like this, I’d have said you were lying,” June said with a grin. “But it felt good being out there playing with the guys, finally coming together and just giving a little glimpse of all the work we put in.”
He credits the offensive line, receivers and quarterback Gio Lopez for putting him in position to break through.
“Going through the week, getting those reps with the O-line, the quarterback, the receivers — it just brought it all together,” he said.
June admits his “welcome to college” moment came fast — literally — during his first week of practice.
“First week in pads, you got that pass pro pickup drill,” June said. “Got put on my butt. But it’s part of the game. I thank the guys for that, because it shaped me into being the guy I am now.”
Now, just three games into his college career, June is making history. His 148-yard night is the most by a Tar Heel freshman since Carter ran for 157 against Virginia in 2017, and his back-to-back team-leading performances hint at a future feature role.
“They all feel pretty good,” June said of his football milestones. “But today, just being able to come together with the guys, after it being so long for us, being able to showcase all the stuff that we work on — today definitely is one of those highs.”
And the days of a running-back-by committee approach by Belichick may be over.
Photos by Joshua Lawson
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