UNC depth chart breakdown - defensive line: Fox lurking from every direction

Calling North Carolina’s Tomari Fox a positionless player is a bit of a misnomer. He actually can play every position on the defensive line for the Tar Heels and opponents trying to scout him just may see that during the course of the same game.

Fox, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound sophomore, is both physical enough to battle in the interior of the line and quick enough to be on the outside and rush the passer at defensive end. If the package calls for it, he can even drop back off the line in pass coverage, although the Heels won’t have him backpedaling on too many occasions.

“I’m not sure the best player on defense isn’t Tomari Fox,” UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman told reporters on Wednesday’s Zoom call. “We’ll move him around. We don’t want people to really know where he is.”

Fox is expecting to take a big leap in his second year after appearing in 12 games as a freshman. Bateman said Fox will primarily line up at defensive tackle and his usage could be compared to that of Jason Strowbridge last season. Strowbridge, who was the Miami Dolphins’ fifth-round pick in April, moved around on the line so opponents wouldn’t automatically know which way to steer their blocking.

“Part of the deal with Jason last year was they couldn’t always know where he was,” Bateman said. “It was like, ‘if he’s lined up in the boundary, let’s block that way,’” Bateman said. “Tomari is gonna be in a very similar role when we are in some of those packages for sure.”

UNC hopes Fox can produce similar results. Strowbridge had three sacks, four quarterback hurries and 6.5 tackles for losses last season. He was always around the ball, as evidenced by his team-leading three fumble recoveries.

Who is expected to start?

Fox, nose tackle Jahlil Taylor and defensive end Raymond Vohasek have stood out because of their knowledge of the total scheme. It allows Bateman the option of bouncing them around to different spots or target a singular use in a specific package. Taylor is not showing any ill effects from offseason shoulder surgery. “(Vohasek) was probably the guy I was most worried about not having spring practice,” Bateman said. “...but he’s done a great job. I feel like he’s a guy who can play a lot of football for us.”

Who are the key reserves?

Bateman indicated the rotation of defensive linemen would primarily be six players, if the opener was today. Along with the starters, that would include Xach Gill, Myles Murphy, and a mix of either Kevin Hester or Kristian Varner. Murphy, a first year player from Greensboro Dudley High School, may get to play the most among his defensive line peers from the class of 2020.

Who might surprise us?

Gill, a fourth-year junior, appeared in 12 games last season and registered 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. Bateman believes the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Gill can make a bigger impact this season. “Xach Gill’s really improved,” Bateman said. “I think Xach’s kind of figured out how to use the body God gave him. He’s a big, long kid, he’s using that and I really feel strongly about him and the improvement he’s made.”

What are the group’s strengths?

The strenght for the Heels may come in the group’s flexibility. Having a handful of players take the majority of snaps doesn’t mean UNC is expecting limited contributions. It’s quite the opposite, Bateman hinted their depth will come from allowing the younger players to excel in the packages they are comfortable playing. “That’s kind of what goes into the multiplicity of the defense,” Bateman said “You can put different guys in positions and do the same job but ask them to do it a different way because of their skill set.”

What are the group’s weaknesses?

It’s not fair to put pass rushing entirely on the defensive line, since the Heels generate a lot of their pressure from their outside linebackers. But it is an area that the line has to improve upon. Carolina finished with 31 sacks last season, which tied Wake Forest for ninth in the ACC.

“We’d like to be able to get a pass rush with just four pass rushers,” Brown said. “Instead of Jay Bateman having to bring a bunch of people, which makes us play a lot more man coverage when we have to bring extra people.”

This story was originally published September 2, 2020 at 2:39 PM with the headline "UNC depth chart breakdown - defensive line: Fox lurking from every direction."