When Tomon Fox arrived at Fedora’s Freak Show — North Carolina’s most hyped recruiting camp of the year — he didn’t have any sort of firm plan to make his commitment. Less than an hour into the event, however, the 2016 defensive end decided he wanted to be a Tar Heel.
“With the atmosphere around it, I just knew this was the place for me,” Fox said.
Shortly after warmups, the Suwanee, Georgia, native pledged to UNC.
“I was talking to my trainer, and I was like, ‘I feel like I want to commit.’ He went and got Coach Fedora, and I told him right there,” Fox stated.
The commitment was well-received by the Tar Heel head coach.
“He jumped up and hugged me and everything,” Fox said of Larry Fedora. “I hugged him back and hugged Gene Chizik. He was really excited.”
Fox’s relationship with the coaching staff played a major role in his recruitment. In the weeks leading up to his decision, the Collins Hill High School standout had conversations with Fedora and defensive backs coach Charlton Warren about the Notice of Allegations that the school received from the NCAA last month.
Those conversations helped eliminate Fox’s concerns.
“Coach Fedora told me football won’t be touched by that,” he said. “So I was like, ‘alright, this is good.’ It was comforting because it kind of had me shaking at first.”
UNC’s NCAA scandal hasn’t just been a topic of conversation between Fox and the Tar Heel coaches. The defensive end has heard speculation on potential sanctions both from coaches at other schools and reporters.
“I see it on Twitter all the time,” Fox stated. “Every time I post something about UNC, they tell me about the sanctions and stuff that might happen. But it’s not going to happen now, so we’re good.”
Looking ahead, Fox will try to do some recruiting of his own. One player he’ll try to get to join him at North Carolina is a defensive tackle ranked in the top 10 of the 2016 class.
“Dexter Lawrence is definitely one of them. That’s who I’m working on. That’s my next target.”
A 6-3, 230-pound defensive end, Fox showed quickness off the line during linemen drills. He is considered the No. 50 rising senior in the state of Georgia on the 247Sports Composite.
With Fedora’s Freak Show wrapped up, the Tar Heels have 10 players committed to their 2016 class. Five of those prospects hail from Georgia.
UNC’s class is ranked No. 37 nationally on the 247Sports Composite.