CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina defensive lineman Tomari Fox met with the media via zoom following practice Wednesday to field questions about being back on the field, his time on scout team last season, the defensive line’s improvements, veteran makeup of the defense, and more.

Above is video from Fox’s Q&A session, and below are a few notes from what he had to say:

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*Fox missed last season because he was ineligible after consuming an energy drink that had a banned substance in it.

*In three games this season, Fox has played 91 snaps with a season grade of 65.8. Fox has four tackles, 1.5 TFLs, of which one was a sack. He also has a QB hurry.

*In his UNC career, which began in 2019, Fox played 1,155 snaps. By season: 2019- 255 snaps, 69.8 grade; 2020- 598 snaps, 54.1 grade; 2021- 302 snaps, 65.2 grade.

*Fox was playing on the scout team a year ago, so what is the level of gratification he gets now knowing he will be on the field each Saturday?

“It makes me appreciate it a lot,” he said. “When they say you come out here and you get to do it you don’t have to do it, that’s a real statement. I was definitely out here last year in a navy blue jersey on scout team, and that didn’t feel great, especially being a guy who had never been on scout tea before.

“It was a humbling experience. So knowing now that the work I put in is I have the opportunity to showcase, and I’m very appreciative of that… I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to show people what we’ve been building here and what I’ve been doing.”

*Carolina has done a better job through three games of apply conventional pressure on quarterbacks. Fox says experience is a key factor, among other things.

“One is confidence. Two is everybody’s older, so guys are obviously getting better over time. Three, everybody’s healthy right now. And four, I feel like we came into this season with a chip on our shoulder, maybe teams didn’t respect us as much…

“We’ve been working every day. We have something to prove just like every other team in this league. So, we showed up, and that’s goal every single weekend, is to show what we’ve been working on every single day.”

*Redshirt freshman Beau Atkinson has played really well in his 53 snaps grading out at 71.3 so far. UNC Coach Mack Brown has said Atkinson has an exceptionally high ceiling, and so has Fox.

“Hard worker. Very self-motivated; you don’t have to tell him to go, you just point him in a direction and he takes off. He worked, man, he’s worked. Spring, summer, fall, he’s earning his stripes, and that’s what I appreciate about Beau.”

*In UNC’s 26-22 victory at Boston College in 2020, which was played with no fans in the stadium, Fox played 74 snaps. So, he knows firsthand what Pitt QB Phil Jurkovec can do, as he was BC’s QB that day. In the game, he completed 37 of 56 pass attempts for 313 yards, two TDs, and no INTs, though Trey Morrison picked off a two-point conversion and returned it for two points for the Tar Heels.

So, what are Fox’s thoughts about facing Jurkovec, who is now at Pitt?

“He’s a big dude. He’s always been a talent. I kind of stay out of rankings and social media, I don’t know how he’s viewed in that aspect. Us up front have a high regard for him. He threw the ball a lot that day… He led his offense well.

“Any quarterback, honestly, anybody can go out there, you’ve got to respect and hold to the highest standard. So, I expect when we go there to Pitt that he’ll have his best game… You don’t wanna ever overlook somebody.”

*Fox played 39 snaps in UNC’s overtime loss at Pitt two years ago, so Fox was asked if there is any feeling of unfinished business up there.

“Of course. It’s a new team, new year, you’ve gotta let go of the past. But you’ve got to remember those scars – you’ve gotta have those… - so you (want to) come out with a whole new story the next time.”