UNC’s young, talented defensive line will be finding its way but expected to perform
Tomari Fox’s versatility allows him to thrive in a defense like Jay Bateman’s, which the sophomore defensive lineman called “positionless.”
Fox can play all four positions on the line, and said being available is the quickest way to get on the field under North Carolina’s defensive coordinator.
“A lot of people are — I’m not saying about my team — but a lot of people are unique to one position, but where I pride myself is being coachable and being athletic enough to move around all along the line just so we can work in different fronts, different blitzes and put a lot of different kinds of packages in,” Fox said.
UNC’s defensive line is on the younger side this year in the absence of Aaron Crawford and Jason Strowbridge, who both graduated. There are no seniors on the line and just two juniors — Raymond Vohasek, who transferred into the program last year — and Xach Gill.
“I think we could be a different D-line,” Vohasek said. “Obviously we got different personnel, but I think we’ll be really good in the run game and I think with packages, be able to rush the passer. But I mean it’s a different group so we’ll see what happens when it comes game time.”
Vohasek said he’s been playing mostly at nose tackle so far in practice, but like Fox he can play a number of different positions on the line. Before getting to UNC, he’d played everything from linebacker to defensive end.
He’d also torn his labrum during his senior year of high school and didn’t make a full recovery until late last season. It wasn’t until the last four games of the season that Vohasek really caught coach Mack Brown’s eye.
“I was super weak,” Vohasek said. “I have natural strength, I always have, but it was just getting in the weight room, building my body up and just, it just progressed over time to be honest with you.”
Despite the youthfulness and relative lack of inexperience in the group, other members of the defense and team as a whole are already taking note of the D-line’s potential.
“I feel like we have some young guys that came in, stepped up,” linebacker Tyrone Hopper said. “Like Jahlil Taylor, he started coming along very well. So he stepped up in that role, like that Aaron Crawford role, in taking over that position. Then we have Ray Vohasek doing an amazing job making plays left and right, left and right. Just guys like that. Myles Murphy, he’s coming along. New freshman. He’s doing great. Pass rush, run block, everything. He’s just a young guy stepping up and taking on those roles you know, that we lost.”
Marcus McKethan, an offensive lineman, also called out Murphy and Vohasek.
“One of the younger guys, Myles Murphy, he’s been looking great,” McKethan said. “[Raymond] has stepped up. Our D-line is looking great right now.”
Murphy, a graduate of Dudley High School in Greensboro, was a four-star prospect and the No. 3 player in North Carolina. ESPN tabbed him as the eighth-ranked defensive end in the nation. He’ll most likely earn time on the field early in the season at defensive end opposite of Fox.
“Everybody here has so much ability,” Fox said. “I’m pretty shocked about how good these young guys are. So what I want to be for them is an example and a leader, being a young guy myself and understanding we have sort of a young defense at least up front, age wise and experience wise, I just want to be able to be somebody who sets the tone so that we could set a tone as a defense and make our mark as one of the best defenses in college football.”
Other players of note on UNC’s defensive line will be Gill, who appeared in all 13 games for the Tar Heels last season, Taylor, who had 11 tackles last season, and Kevin Hester Jr., a three-star prospect from the 2019 recruiting class.