Coming into the 2018 season, the UNC defensive line was expected to be a major strength for the program. Led by three upperclassmen and a talented sophomore, the unit was deep and filled with veterans.
But now, what was once certain has been called into question.
Aaron Crawford, a redshirt junior defensive tackle and leader in the trenches, went down earlier this week with a knee injury during practice, a development first reported by Spectrum News and Greg Barnes of Inside Carolina.
On Aug. 6, the staggering suspensions handed out to fellow defensive linemen Tomon Fox and Malik Carney — who each violated NCAA rules along with 11 other teammates by selling their team-issued Jordan brand shoes — shook up the depth chart. The injury to Crawford, a leader in the trenches, adds a new level of damage.
When asked earlier this summer, Crawford told The Daily Tar Heel that the 2018 defensive line is the deepest he's seen during his time at UNC.
“We’ve always had guys that, we’ve had a good first layer but then the second layer might be inexperienced as such," Crawford said. "I’ve been with this group. We’ve had all these guys here for about three to four years now. It’s gotten to the point where there’s real little dropoff whenever we touch the field and switch off, so I’m real confident in what we can do.”
Now, Crawford's injury will put his own claim to the test. To pick up the slack, veterans Jeremiah Clarke and Jason Strowbridge will be asked to take on bigger roles. In addition, Jalen Dalton will be asked to be more of a leader, as well as the stalwart getting after the quarterback that he's been the past several seasons.
Last season, Crawford tallied 29 tackles, including five for losses totaling 18 yards, while also accumulating three sacks. The Ashburn, Va., native's loss along with his other two teammates will be tough considering the three accounted for almost 30 percent of the team's tackles for a loss in 2017.
With the season almost a week away, new faces will have to emerge quickly in order for the group to recover before the season opener at California.
