When North Carolina linebacker Bruce Carter is running up the Keenan Stadium steps while carrying 60-pound cement bags, or sprinting his 300s with 30 seconds rest in between, it’s not a potential NFL contract or a Coastal Division title he’s thinking about to push him one step further, one rep harder.

“I’m just thinking about everybody who has helped me get to the point I am now, and to represent what I stand for and where I came from,” he said. “I came from somewhere where not a lot of people make it. I’m the first person in my family to go to college. I’m about to graduate. I’m doing a lot of things that a lot of people wish they could have, and wish they could do. It’s very important. It means the world to me to see everyone happy for me, saying keep doing what I’m doing. My mom, dad and sister are very supportive of what I’m doing.”

What's he's doing is impressive.

Carter, who has started 31 straight games for the Tar Heels, will graduate in December, and he is taking his off-season conditioning a little more seriously now because of his decision to return to North Carolina for a final year instead of entering the NFL draft. His dedication in the weight room has paid off, as he was recently ranked the No. 1 workout warrior by ESPN.com’s Bruce Feldman.

“It’s a grind,” Carter said. “It’s my last go-around. I’ve got to go as hard as I can, because you never know what can happen. I don’t want to look back and say I could have did more.”

It’s hard to believe there’s still more for Carter to do. He has already set UNC linebacker records in the power clean at 376 (he just broke his own record) and the vertical jump (40.5 inches). He has also been clocked at 4.39 in the 40 and bench-presses 440.

He finished the season ranked third on the team with 67 tackles, and had 7.5 tackles for losses, two sacks, one interception return for a touchdown, two pass breakups and four quarterback pressures.

Carter said he’s gained about 10 pounds (which isn’t a surprise, considering he’s eating McDonald’s double cheeseburgers and fries every day), but he said it’s not a problem as long as he’s able to make his runs. He is in the weight room by 8 a.m. Monday through Friday.

“It helps you be more explosive in everything you do, going fast, and playing at high speed every play,” he said. “You take what you do in the weight room and transform it onto the field just by being explosive.”

And just by remembering where he came from, Carter has become one of the most explosive athletes in the country.