Fox On The OLB Group, Evans' Improvements & The D's Depth
CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina super senior outside linebacker Tomon Fox met with the media via zoom following the Tar Heels’ scrimmage Saturday morning to discuss his position group, depth on defense, Des Evans’ ascent, and much more.
Fox is in his sixth year playing football for UNC. He has played 2,517 snaps and is tied with Lawrence Taylor for career sacks at Carolina with 21. He had 36 tackles last season, seven of which were sacks.
The 6-foot-2, 260-pound native of Lawrenceville, GA, has recorded 146 tackles in his Carolina career.
Above is the full video of Fox’s Q&A session and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*The Tar Heels held their ninth practice of fall camp Saturday morning, and it was their first scrimmage. So how did it go?
“The scrimmage went well,” Fox said. “The defense came out, we did our thing versus the offense. It’s good to be out there in 11-on-11 situations, we’ve got the sticks out there so we can put the team in different situations – red zone, short yardage, things like that. But overall, the team did a really good job.”
*The OLB group, which is also the OLB/DE hybrid group, has Fox and Tyrone Hopper, a pair of super seniors, then there is fourth-year player Chris Collins. But Des Evans and Kaimon Rucker are in their second seasons at UNC. So how has Fox seen that group collectively come along this far into fall camp?
“We’ve made great strides, especially with younger people like Des and Kaimon Rucker. They’ve definitely made a huge impact this fall and they’re going to be able to make a big impact this season by being able to get more reps and take more of a load during the season.”
*Fox has seen six UNC defenses now that he has been a part of, and with the topic of fall camp being the overall depth on that side of the ball, how deep is the unit now that Fox has seen them for nine practices?
“Man, I say we’re really deep,” he replied. “It’s going to be hard making people not travel (to away games with the 72-player limit) this year. We’ve got three deep in almost every position. All of the guys can play and everybody is playing at a high level right now.”
*The mantra that guys produce more while playing fewer snaps is being pushed and has been well received. But it can be challenging to older players who have logged a ton of snaps, like Fox, who has been on the field for 2,517 defensive plays in his UNC career. So an he envision himself being more productive while playing less, and is this something he embraces?
“I can definitely see myself making more plays with fewer snaps because it’s just being more efficient out there on the field instead of having to endure long drives and going down the field and eventually being tired,” he said. “We’ve got that can come in and we can always keep fresh legs on the field.”
*ILB coach and co-defensive coordinator Tommy Thigpen said Friday that Des Evans always pops out when the staff watches tape of practice. His game has grown immensely. Evans said earlier in the week he has been picking Fox’s brain a lot and it has helped his game grow, as well. So, what has Fox seen from Evans physically and cerebrally?
“Physically, Des has always had a high motor,” Fox said. “Even when he first got here, he’d run down the field chasing down (guys) even though that’s not his responsibility. That’s also something he’s sustained in the second year for him. Physically, he’s put on more weight, he’s gotten a lot stronger from the weight room aspect he’s brought over to the field.
“And he has been picking my brain. He asks more questions, way more than he did last year, and he’s also just trying to learn the defense, learn how to play football. So that’s big for him.”