UNC linebacker Darius Lipford will forego his senior season at North Carolina and enter the NFL's Supplemental Draft.

The 6-3, 245-pound linebacker from Lenoir (N.C.)'s Hibriten High School has entered his name into the supplemental draft, which is designed to allow underclassmen who did not petition the league for early entry before the NFL Draft deadline but find themselves ineligible for the upcoming college season a vehicle for entering the NFL.

In 2013, his junior season, Lipford appeared in 10 games at the bandit position and finished with 20 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. He also had four quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup. This was after he missed the entire 2012 season after suffering a severe knee injury the day after Christmas back in 2011 in UNC's blowout loss to Missouri in the Advocare 100 Bowl in Shreveport (La.).

Lipford had become the full-time strong side linebacker midway through the 2011 season, his sophomore year, and played in all 13 games for the Tar Heels that autumn, starting four of them. He finished the season with 42 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and four pass break-ups.

Lipford was a projected starter for the Tar Heels this upcoming season, as he practiced with the first team during the spring at the middle linebacker position, but sources have informed Tar Heel Illustrated back in late May that Lipford wasn't going to be academically eligible to play for the Tar Heels in 2014.

On Monday, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reported that 12 NFL teams were in Chapel Hill, potentially looking at Lipford, as the former Tar Heel has elected to take the professional route instead of transferring to another school to play out his last season of intercollegiate eligibility.

Stay tuned to Tar Heel Illustrated for more updates on the matter.