Larry Fedora suspended four players on Wednesday, but he also got another back just days before the UNC’s season opener against Liberty. Defensive tackle Ethan Farmer, whose eligibility was in question because of an NCAA issue, has been cleared to play for the Tar Heels.
Farmer started 13 games in 2013, totaling 30 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. The senior is also the team’s only returning defensive lineman.
Coming out of the spring, Farmer was listed as a co-starter along with Shawn Underwood. The 6-1, 305-pound Underwood has since been dismissed from the team, leaving Farmer as the likely starter at one of the defensive tackle spots with Nazair Jones as his backup.
This comes as welcome news for Fedora, who stated earlier this week that depth in the trenches is a concern on both sides of the ball. Junior Justin Thomason and redshirt freshman Dajuan Drennon are the frontrunners to join Farmer in the Heels’ first-team D-line on Saturday.