CHAPEL HILL – Tomon Fox had three logical reasons for taking advantage of the NCAA’s waiver not counting this past season against any athlete’s eligibility, meaning seniors could return for one more season.

Fox, who has played 2,517 snaps in parts of five seasons already at North Carolina, chose to spend another year in Chapel Hill. There is more work to be done, more sweat to give UNC, and still a chance at making himself into an NFL player.

So, he’s coming back.

“It was a tough decision,” Fox said Friday. “There was a lot going back and forth and discussions between my family, the coaches and (teammate) Tyrone (Hopper), things like that. But the deciding factor was I didn't like the way we ended the year. I felt like we had a lot more potential and that the team could have been way better this year.

“And, as for an individual standpoint, I believe that I have way more left on the table that I can give to Carolina.”

Fox registered 36 tackles this past season for the Tar Heels, seven of which were sacks. He had 24 QB hurries (PFF), forced a fumble and recovered one, and he graded out at 66.2, according to PFF.

His career numbers (146 tackles, 21 sacks) are impressive, and he likely will leave UNC having played more snaps than any Tar Heel in the modern era. But when asked by the media multiple different ways about his decision, never once did Fox mention personal stats or records, though being tied with Lawrence Taylor, perhaps the greatest defensive player in this history of the sport, is rather cool.

“It’s a great feeling to be up there with those guys who are known throughout the nation and one of the most talked about people that came out of Carolina,” Fox said, clearly humbled being mentioned in the same breath as Taylor and other UNC greats. “It’s a great honor to be up there with them.”

Fox would love to end up in the league where Taylor truly made his name as a superstar with the New York Giants in the 1980s. But it will take some work.

Playing at the next level isn’t the only thing that fosters Fox’s drive. Landing in the NFL, however, is an obvious goal.

“I have NFL aspirations, but I feel like I need to show more consistency on the field,” he said. “There’s games where I could have done better, and I know I could have done better. And that’s what they look for at the next level, just that consistency.”

And that’s how UNC’s ascent on the college football landscape can play to Fox’s advantage, and really, everyone in the program who wants to earn a living playing football.

The Tar Heels are coming off a season that concluded with a competitive loss to No. 5 Texas A&M in the Orange Bowl. But the 8-4 Heels also finished ranked No. 18 and generated plenty of national attention before that game, landing on exclusive national TV on ABC three times – at Florida State, home versus Notre Dame, and at Miami – and having star power in its players.

Expectations are already soaring for the 2021 Tar Heels. Picked in the top 10 in many way-too-early polls already released and Sam Howell is regarded as one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, hype will hover over Kenan Stadium as next season approaches.

So, with that comes a responsibility, a foundation put in place by UNC Coach Mack Brown, who has done that and been there before. It will aid any Heels with NFL aspirations, but it will also fuel greater growth for next year’s team over the offseason.

“It definitely helps because they look at us as a winning team now, we have players capable of playing at the next level,” Fox said. “So, I think that’s created a new standard for us and everybody has to up their game this year, even more so than last year.”

At 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, Fox plays the hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker spot. He is often a disrupter, but consistency is the key, not just in fulfilling his NFL dreams, but to further elevate the Tar Heels.

So, after talking with his parents, coaches and Hopper, a fellow hybrid, following the loss to A&M, Fox decided he would embrace the NCAA rule and make one more go of it.

And he isn’t going to waste one minute.

“I’ve got a little game pan together with the coaches (for) my body and my mind, too,” he said, referring to his offseason plans. “Make sure I know the playbook in and out, and all the nuances of the defense. And in terms of physical, just being more explosive, getting my quickness better and just having that overall focus this year.”

Graduate school is the other prong. Fox was the Bill Koman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Academics, Athletics & Leadership this past season and is furthering his education at Carolina.

That, helping UNC continue its national climb, and enhancing his NFL odds are why Tomon Fox will be a Tar Heel for one more year.