Note: Full Jale Lawler interview below

CHAPEL HILL – Not all football players go to college with the sole mission of eventually playing in the NFL.

Most players have other interests in life and many develop new ones while in school. For North Carolina outside linebacker Jake Lawler, his growing desire to write screen plays and chase something different in life led him to choosing part ways with a sport he loves and dive into something new.

Lawler, who was once a 4-star prospect and the jewel of UNC’s 2017 recruiting class, had decided this will be his final football season, and after he graduates next May, Lawler will head to Los Angeles and embark on a career in the movie industry.

UNC Coach Mack Brown has some contacts in L.A. who will help Lawler, notably actor Matthew McConauhey and Lawler cannot wait to get started.

Of course, he has at least one more football game left with the Tar Heels, as UNC heads to rival N.C. State on Saturday night. The Heels need to win to qualify for a bowl, so if they take care of business, Lawler has two more games remaining in his career.

Lawler met with the media Tuesday evening at the Kenan Football Center to discuss his decision, his interests, offer evidence to his expansive vocabulary, and to tell his story.

Here is what the Charlotte native had to say: