John Lafferty was a steady, field-position punter with legitimate big-kick juice at UNC
In the 2002 season, John Lafferty started 11 of 12 games and averaged 36.6 yards on 61 punts, with 13 placed inside the 20 and four punts of 50+ yards, showing a reliable leg with real hidden-yardage value. The biggest differentiator in his profile is consistency under volume — UNC trusted him often, and he could flip the field when cleanly protected. Earlier UNC coverage also noted he dealt with mononucleosis in 2000, so durability was part of the story, but when healthy he was a dependable special-teams piece who fit a team needing control, hang time, and field position.
