How having a son helped UNC cornerback KJ Sails become a ‘Rude Boy’

He was fast asleep when he got a call at 3 a.m. last August. K.J. Sails, now a junior cornerback for North Carolina, was in training camp in Chapel Hill.

His girlfriend, who was in Florida, was on the other line. She said she was about to give birth to their baby.

“Whoa,” he thought. The day had finally come. His life was about to change.

Sails flew down to Tampa, and raced to Tampa General Hospital, where his girlfriend was in labor.

“I grabbed her hand and told her I loved her,” Sails said. “And we went through it. She got through it.”

King Jeremiah Sails, six pounds, was born on Aug. 13, 2017.

Sails held his son and looked down at him. King looked back up at his father.

“I told him, ‘I’m your dad,’” Sails recalled. “When I seen his eyes open I just fell in love with him.”

It was then that Sails knew he had to change his life. He had to do things differently. He had a child now who depended on him. He had to give his best from here on out.

‘Rude boy’

Sails likes to joke around and always wears a smile. He’s talkative and more than confident — just short of cocky, but still humble. He knows that today is never promised.

That’s what his coaches like about him.

“He’s got a lot of confidence and he talks a lot,” UNC coach Larry Fedora said. “He’s going to always bring positive energy to his teammates and it’s contagious. We always need guys like that.”

Sails is 5-11 and 175 pounds, but he doesn’t play like it. He’s expected to start this year. Last season, he led the team in pass breakups with 13. When he deflects a pass, or intercepts the ball, he’s sure to let the opposing wide receiver know about it.

“He’s a nasty, in-your-face type of guy,” UNC junior safety Myles Dorn said. “I feel that’s what makes him good. He’s not the biggest, not the fastest, not the strongest. But he has that heart.”

Come on, I’m here.

I’m a dog.

Y’all better be ready.

Don’t come back this way.

Those are some of the things you can often hear him saying to the receivers.

It’s part of his “Rude Boy” mantra that the defensive backs at UNC must have. It was started by former cornerback Dré Bly in the late 1990s. Bly, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014, set an ACC record for most interceptions in his career (20) while at UNC.

A “Rude Boy” plays with a swagger and a certain kind of attitude. It’s not something that can be said if you don’t perform, Sails said.

“It’s got to mean something to you,” Sails said. Some might think Sails is the lead rude boy.

Where does that come from?

His uncle, Richard Woodbury, Sails said. The two would play each other one-on-one in basketball when Sails was about 12. Woodbury is 13 years his elder.

“And I used to cry because he used to beat me all the time,” Sails said. “And he said ‘I’m not going to let you win.’”

Woodbury jokingly adds that he used to dunk on his nephew. Sails’ grandmother, who is Woodbury’s mother, would yell from inside the house, “you can’t be doing him like that.”

Woodbury said he was preparing his nephew for his future. He knew that K.J. would be successful one day. And he wanted him to be great.

“The only real way you can possibly succeed in life is by not quitting,” Woodbury said. “I’d tell him the only way to predict your future is if you create it.”

Those games with his uncle in the backyard fueled Sails’ competitiveness. He would play against players older than he was. He would talk junk to them and beat them.

How he changed

While Sails is probably best known for his personality and competitiveness, senior safety J.K. Britt said Sails’ best attribute is his work ethic. He’s become more of a leader.

“He’s going to come to work every day and work hard,” Britt said. ”Even if he’s down and out, you won’t be able to tell because he brings energy and everybody is going to feed off of it.”

“He’s grinding harder.”

Before the birth of King, most people likely would not have said that. Not even Sails, who admits he was childish. He was late to things. When he went home to Tampa on breaks, he didn’t want to come back.

But when his son was born, he knew it was time to make a change.

“I had to handle my business differently,” Sails said. “I’ve got to be here on time. I’ve (got to) get to places on time and stuff like that because that’s the only way people are going to trust you.”

King is a year old now. He’s also walking, according to his dad’s Twitter account. They call him “Little Buck.” He lives in Tampa with his mother, and is expected to come to UNC’s first home game. He’s a mini version of his dad, Sails says with pride.

When asked will his son play football, Sails said he’ll let his son play whatever he wants.

Everyone asked said they’ve noticed a difference in Sails since his son’s birth. He’s matured, Fedora said.

Sails has two goals. He wants to play professional football, and to be a broadcaster some day. He wants to be in front of a TV. He said it fits his personality.

Sails is motivated to get there one day. He has a son depending on him.

UNC at California

When: 4 p.m., Sept. 1

TV: FOX

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 11:34 AM.