Matt Raudenbush, a senior golfer at UNC, caddied for Rory McIlroy earlier this summer and perhaps as a tribute or perhaps as a converted fan, McIlroy sported a Carolina hat during the PGA Championships last week.

Raudenbush is the son of South Jersey’s Pine Valley Golf Club and he was fortunate enough to caddy for McIlroy, winner of the 2011 U.S. Open, for 36 holes at Pine Valley in June.

“I’ve been caddying pretty regular this summer, when I don’t have a tournament and have the time to do it,” Raudenbush said. “I think [my dad] knew about it about a week before he came. That day the caddiemaster just said, ‘Matt, you’re caddying for Rory.’ And I was like, ‘OK, that’s cool.’ He hooked me up.

“The first day, they played around [noon]. I met him in the parking lot. If you didn’t know who he was, you’d think he was just some 22-year-old kid who just likes to hang out. I guess they hit balls. We just went right to the [first] tee. Then off we went.”

Raudenbush is actually 5 months older than McIlroy.

“As a college golfer, I tried to do everything I could to pick his brain,” Raudenbush said. “He helped a lot. He thinks everything through. Then he talks about the different shots that he hit. Every time, I saw him do something a little different. It’s unbelievable. He hits the shot he wants, almost every time, always within 4 or 5 yards of the number he was trying to, which is really everything. It was just I’d tell him what to hit or where to hit it, and that’s what he’d do. First hole, you need to hit it about 280 to the right-center [of the fairway], and he just cut one right in there.”

ABC11 is reporting that police sergeant Shawn Smith was fired following his investigation into a wreck that involved four UNC football players.

Smith charged former UNC player Herman Davidson only with not having a valid driver’s license despite alcohol and speed of the car being involved. Davidson was not issued a speeding ticket and no one was taken into custody.

ABC11, WTVD, reports that “The initial report said the car was traveling the speed limit at the time of the crash; but nearly 16 hours later, the report was later changed to say the car was going 45 mph in a 25 mph zone.”

Smith is reported as saying, “I let my love for UNC interfere with real life and I paid the price.”

UNC players Carl Gaskins Jr., Dion Guy and Ebele Okakpu were passengers in the vehicle, owned by Okakpu’s father. The car sustained $18,000 in damage.

Junior shortstop Levi Michael agreed to terms with the Minnesota Twins Monday night beginning his professional career after a stellar three-year career at North Carolina. Michael was the 30th overall selection in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft and was the sixth Tar Heel taken in the first round since 2006.

Signees Bryan Brickhouse (Kansas City Royals, third round) and Dillon Maples (Chicago Cubs, 14th round) signed professional contracts and will not attend North Carolina.

Michael finished his career hitting .306 with 183 runs scored, 159 RBI and 81 extra-base hits (43-2B, 11-3B, 27-HR). The Welcome, N.C., native also drew 119 walks in his career to rank sixth in school history.

Michael joins Matt Harvey (2010 – 7th overall, New York Mets), Dustin Ackley (2009 – 2nd overall, Seattle Mariners), Alex White (2009 – 15th overall, Cleveland Indians), Andrew Miller (2006 – 6th overall, Detroit Tigers) and Daniel Bard (2006 – 28th overall, Boston Red Sox) as Tar Heels drafted in the first round since 2006. The six selections are more than any other school in country.

A trio of seniors inked deals at the end of the College World Series as eight round pick Greg Holt signed with the Washington Nationals, 24th round selection Jesse Wierzbicki signed with the Houston Astros and 25th round pick Patrick Johnson joined the Colorado Rockies.

Junior catcher Jacob Stallings who was selected in the 42nd round by the Cincinnati Reds did not sign Monday and will enter his senior campaign in 2012.

Five drafted incoming freshmen elected not to sign professional contracts as well and will be joining Stallings in Chapel Hill for the 2012 season.

With Cody Stubbs (Washington Nationals, 14th round), Josh Ake (New York Mets, 29th round), Chris McCue (New York Yankees, 35th round), Adam Griffin (Cleveland Indians, 44th round) and Zac LaNeve (Florida Marlins, 44th round) not signing Carolina will welcome in 17 newcomers this fall.

Don’t laugh but quarterback T.J. Yates was drafted higher than New England Patriots’ Tom Brady. Could he be the next Brady?

Yates, a starter at UNC for four years, was drafted in the fifth round by the Houston Texans this year while Brady was taken in the sixth round in 2000. They are both 6-foot-4 and Brady is five pounds heavier at 225.

Brady didn’t start in college until his senior season at Michigan when he completed 214 of 350 passes for 2636 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. During his senior season, the more experienced Yates completed 282 of 422 passes for 3418 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

A lot of people scoff at the possibility that a UNC quarterback would even start in the NFL much less be good. After all, the last UNC signal caller to be drafted as a quarterback was Chris Kupec back in ’75. Scott Stankavage played a little, completing eight of 25 passes over four games.

Danny Talbott, who was the best all-around athlete in North Carolina in the 1960s, led the ACC in total offense and scoring but languished for three seasons behind the Redskins’ Sonny Jurgensen. He only played in preseason games.

Some thought Mark Maye and Chris Keldorf would have a chance but no.

Yates is smart, experienced, good under pressure, makes good decisions with ball, is a good leader and is playing in an offensive system that suits him. So, he does have a chance.

After the draft, some experts ranked Yates as one of the steals of the draft.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said he couldn’t believe Yates was still on the board in round five of the NFL draft.

Kubiak said, “He had a very solid career in college, which nowadays, we look at some players that have one-year careers, two-year careers — this kid had a nice four-year career and he played his best as a senior. He also overcame adversity at North Carolina. I just like everything he stands for. He is basically running our offense there at North Carolina. He walks in and he’s going to know what we’re doing.”

Matt Schaub, who played at Virginia, is the starter for the Texans and he’s been solid and even spectacular in 2009 when he went to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Tom Brady. So, Yates may have to wait. Brady himself wasn’t even on the active game day roster on several occasions during his first season.

Currently, Yates is No. 3 on the depth chart behind Matt Leinart.

Last night in their first preseason game, the Texans beat the Jets 20-16 after Yates led his team to the winning score in the last two minutes. It appeared that Yates had thrown for the winning score but a replay ruled it no catch. Still, Houston later scored to win it. Yates finished six of 12 for 97 yards.

Before the season, Kubiak said, “This kid has a chance to be a ‘one’ in this league if he keeps moving forward.”

So, don’t laugh.

Kaleb Tarczewski, a top five ranked center in the class of 2012, is expected to announce his college decision very soon, as early as today. But it appears the 7-footer from Massachusetts will not be attending North Carolina, despite being the Tar Heels top post target.

Multiple sources have him picking Kansas over UNC, Arizona and Kentucky. Some have said the decision came down to UNC and Kansas while others said it came down to Kansas and Arizona but either way the word is that he has chosen Kansas.

He visited Kansas four times over the past year while getting to Carolina only once. UNC coach Roy Williams got into the courting process a little later but he evidently made a big impression on Tarczewski. And with Tyler Zeller’s little brother shunning the Heels, Carolina could have used him.

Tarczewski said he could definitely fit in at UNC and he understands that the Heels need a big man. He has also said that he likes Coach Williams.

“I like that he’ll tell you how he feels,” Tarczewski said in an interview with Scout.com. “Which is very important because if you go away to a school and you’re away from your family, you want people you can trust and are like family to you. I think he’s a great guy and he’s definitely someone that I could see me playing for.”

But it’s looking more and more like he has chosen Kansas. Of course I remember the entire town of Rocky Mount, including his best friends, thought Buck Williams was going to announce for Carolina before he called out the name Maryland years ago.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp has named a 12-member search committee to recommend candidates to become the next director of athletics. Committee members include representatives of the Educational Foundation Inc., trustees, University faculty and administrators, athletics department staff members and successful former student-athletes.

The committee will advise Thorp about a successor to Dick Baddour, who has announced plans to accelerate retirement so that a new athletic director could hire Carolina’s next head football coach. The director of athletics will oversee one of the nation’s most comprehensive and successful college sports programs. Nearly 800 student-athletes compete in 28 men’s and women’s varsity sports.Search committee members are:

Martina Ballen, senior associate athletic director and chief financial officer of the department of athletics, where she is a 25-year veteran.

Jan Boxill, chair of the faculty, senior lecturer in philosophy and director of the Parr Center for Ethics. She writes and teaches about topics including ethics, social and political philosophy, and ethics in sports. Boxill chairs the 2011 National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Scholarly Colloquium and the Education Outreach Program for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Lissa Broome, the University’s faculty athletics representative to the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA, a member of the UNC Faculty Athletics Committee, Wachovia Professor of Banking Law and director of the Center for Banking and Finance in the School of Law.

Alan Caldwell, a captain on the 1977 Tar Heel football team that won the ACC title and an All-ACC selection. He is a former member of the Executive Board of Directors of theEducational Foundation Inc. He is director of corporate and civic engagement at RAI Services Co. His son, Tyler, also was a member of the Carolina football team.

Lowry Caudill, a member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Educational Foundation Inc., a University trustee and an adjunct faculty member in the UNC chemistry department. A UNC chemistry building dedicated in 2007 bears the name of Caudill and his wife, Susan. He chairs the Chancellor’s Innovation Circle, which spearheaded the Innovate@Carolina Roadmap, a plan to help UNC become a world leader in launching university-born ideas for the good of society.

Winston Crisp, vice chancellor for student affairs and a longtime University administrator.

Don Curtis, a current member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Educational Foundation Inc., a current University trustee and chair, and chief executive officer of Curtis Media Group Inc. He chairs the UNC General Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, serves on the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Foundation Board of Directors and has served on the UNC Health Care System’s Board of Directors.

Eric Montross, an All-American starter on the Tar Heels’ 1993 NCAA championship team and a retired National Basketball Association player. He is now a color analyst for the Tar Heel Sports Network’s broadcasts of men’s basketball games and director of the Carolina Basketball Family Fund in the Educational Foundation Inc. He also is chair-elect of the UNC General Alumni Association’s Board of Directors.

Karen Shelton, head coach of the women’s field hockey team since 1981. Her teams have won six NCAA championships, finished as NCAA runner-ups seven times and secured 28 winning seasons. She is in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame for her performance as a player.

Dwight Stone, president of D. Stone Builders Inc. and vice chair of the Educational Foundation Inc.’s Executive Board of Directors. His daughter, Jennifer, is a member of the women’s tennis team and his son, David, is a former men’s tennis team member. He chairs the Greensboro Sports Council and is a member of the Greensboro Sports Commission Board of Directors.

John L. Townsend III, a current University trustee and managing partner and chief operating officer for Tiger Management, LLC. His University service includes serving as a member of the Executive Committee of the UNC Investment Fund, as well as on the Kenan-Flagler Business School Board of Visitors and the Ackland Art Museum’s National Advisory Board.

Richard “Stick” Williams, former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and senior vice president of environmental health and safety at Duke Energy Corp. He is president of The Duke Energy Foundation of Duke Energy Corp. and a past chair of the UNC General Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. He played football at Carolina as a freshman and suffered a career-ending injury.

“This search committee represents the full range and balance of perspectives and backgrounds we need to identify the best candidates for the job,” Thorp said. “The committee’s charge is to find an experienced leader committed to academic success and competitive excellence in men’s and women’s athletics.”

Caudill will chair the search committee. The chancellor said Caudill understood the role of an athletic director from multiple perspectives. “He’s active with the Educational Foundation, he’s a trustee and he serves as an adjunct faculty member I can’t imagine anyone with a broader view of what we’re looking for in an athletic director,” Thorp said.

Baddour has served 14 years as Carolina’s athletic director and has worked at the University for 45 years. Under his direction, the Tar Heels have won 13 national championships in four sports (women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s basketball and men’s soccer) and finished in the top 10 15 times in the annual Director’s Cup competition for the best overall program.