Incoming Tar Heel is motivated by those who doubt him

Published May. 1, 2015 9:31 a.m. ET

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Class of 2015 offensive line recruit Tommy Hatton will join the Tar Heels soon and he'll finally have a chance to take out some of his frustration on the football field. Recently, the North Carolina signee shared his driving factors with Matt Morgan of Inside Carolina.

"I feel like the one thing that makes me stand out the most is I have a chip on my shoulder at all times," Hatton told Inside Carolina. "I’m always trying to prove things. I always feel disrespected and people don’t give me the benefit of the doubt, which is good. I don’t want them to give me the benefit of the doubt. I’m trying to make my dreams a reality and I got a chip and it won’t go away."

Morgan describes Hatton as a "tough, blue collar" center from Montvale, N.J. Hatton cited childhood challenges as early hurdles he cleared on a long road of exceeding expectations—a road he sees leading to the NFL.

"Just growing up, man, nothing really came easy to me," Hatton told Inside Carolina. "I was never really the biggest, never really the strongest, never the fastest, none of that. I just knew if I worked hard, good things would happen. That’s what my mom would always tell me. Work hard. Keep your head down. Keep quiet. Stay humble and you never know what could happen. I’ve done that and I’ve had a pretty successful high school career. I’m going to continue to do that. I’m just going to be the hardest working kid I know I can be. I have goals I’m trying to achieve and they’re big goals and I’m confident in myself. I know one day hopefully I’ll be playing in the NFL and yeah, I mean, that’s it."

North Carolina seems to have uncovered a player who's driven to make a difference.

(h/t Inside Carolina)

Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports