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Revision as of 08:24, 3 January 2025 by Hameltion (talk | contribs) (start article)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) American football playerAmerican football player
 Echols with North Carolina in 2024 | |
| No. 23 – North Carolina Tar Heels | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Vance (Charlotte, North Carolina) |
| College: | North Carolina (2021–2024) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Power Echols is an American football linebacker. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Early life
Echols's father, Brian Echols, played college football at Michigan State. His mother, Astarlove Robinson-Russell, played college basketball at Western Michigan; she named him after the actor Powers Boothe. Echols began playing football at age six, originally as a running back. Before high school, his family moved from Arizona to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Echols attended Vance High School in Charlotte, where he played three seasons for the football team. He changed to defense for his freshman season when his high school coach offered him a starting position at linebacker, and his performance drew national attention including from North Carolina linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen. He led Vance to the NCHSAA 4A state championship game as a sophomore before winning the state championship in his junior season in 2019, being named MVP of the championship game with 6.5 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a touchdown. In those two seasons, he was named all-state and the Charlotte Observer Defensive Player of the Year. A four-star recruit, he committed to North Carolina over offers from Clemson and Penn State.
College career
Echols appeared in all 13 games for the North Carolina Tar Heels in his true freshman season in 2021, recording 25 tackles and one interception. He became one of the team's captains and started all 14 games as a sophomore in 2022. Defensive coach Gene Chizik described him as a "tremendous leader on the sideline ... a calming force". He finished his sophomore season with 103 tackles (including a team-high 70 solo tackles) with five going for a loss, two sacks, and one interception, earning an All-ACC honorable mention. His only interception of the season came during a 28–27 loss to Oregon in the 2022 Holiday Bowl, when the ball bounced off Cedric Gray's leg and Echols kept it up with his toe before securing it and running 35 yards.
Echols started all 13 games in his junior season in 2023. He had 102 tackles (including 60 solo) with 5.5 for loss, two forced fumbles, and one interception, earning third-team All-ACC honors. However, North Carolina's defense gave up the fifth-most points per game in the ACC. He recorded 11 tackles in a 30–10 loss to West Virginia in the 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl. He took on further mentorship roles in his senior year in 2024, being asked to fill not just NFL draftee Cedric Gray's position on the field. He started 12 games and recorded 76 tackles with 1.5 for loss, 0.5 sacks, and one interception, being named All-ACC honorable mention. He did not play in the 2024 Fenway Bowl in order to prepare for the NFL draft.
References
- ^ "Power Echols". North Carolina Tar Heels. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Wertz Jr., Langston (September 22, 2018). "Why Vance High sophomore has the Power to become an all-time great at his school". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Holloway, Jeremiah (June 20, 2023). "Power Echols Living Up To His Name While Building His Own Legacy". 247Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- ^ Callahan, Don (January 25, 2020). "Four-Star Linebacker Power Echols Commits to UNC". 247Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- Wertz Jr., Langston (December 15, 2019). "Orange crushed. Vance High's defense smothers Leesville Road in 4AA final". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- Wertz Jr., Langston (January 25, 2020). "UNC football gets commitment from Vance High linebacker Power Echols". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- Brown, C.L. (October 13, 2022). "Determined to be Tar Heels great, LB Power Echols is 'calming force' on UNC defense". The News & Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- Hughes, Grant (December 28, 2022). "UNC LB Power Echols snags wild kicked interception against Oregon in Holiday Bowl". 247Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- Wolcott, Nicky (July 26, 2024). "Power Echols has always left a strong first impression. He aims to leave a lasting one at UNC". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- Delahanty, Nick (August 13, 2024). "Power Echols looks to lead the UNC football program's linebacker unit in 2024". Keeping It Heel. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- Duah-Mensah, Twumasi (August 27, 2024). "Linebacker Power Echols steps in to lead the defense in the 2024 season". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
- Jones, Andrew (December 27, 2024). "On Eve of the Fenway Bowl, UNC's Roster Remains In Flux". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 3, 2025.