Mack Hollins was prepared to leave North Carolina. It was the summer of 2014, months before he would end up leading the Tar Heels in receiving yards and touchdowns. The financial burden of out-of-state tuition was growing, and the end of the lease on his dream was in view.
His self-imposed two-year trial was up. When the Rockville, Maryland, native arrived in Chapel Hill in 2012, he gave himself two years to land a scholarship. A special teams captain in 2013, he still entered summer 2014 collecting student loan debt.
“When I stepped on campus,” Hollins said, “I said if I didn’t have a scholarship in two years I’d be leaving.