Noah Taylor, UNC football's leading pass-rusher, out for season with injury
North Carolina has suffered a second significant defensive loss in two weeks.
The Tar Heels announced Monday that graduate linebacker-defensive end Noah Taylor will miss the rest of the 2022 season after injuring his right knee in the first quarter of Saturday's victory against Pitt. Taylor, a transfer from Virginia, has been one of UNC's most productive defenders this season, ranking eighth with 28 total tackles, and is the team leader in tackles for loss (6.0) and sacks (3.5).
"Very, very disappointed for Noah,'' UNC coach Mack Brown said during his weekly Monday press conference. "The transfer portal is good for a lot of things and he has been wonderful for us. He's a tremendous leader. He's one of the reasons our defense has improved so much."
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The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder from Silver Spring, Maryland, made 170 tackles, 30 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks during a four-year career at Virginia, which will be the Tar Heels' opponent on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. He opted to spend his final year of eligibility at UNC, where he's been one of the team's defensive leaders.
Taylor's injury comes a week after UNC also lost starting nose tackle Ray Vohasek to a season-ending injury.
Graduate student Chris Collins and true freshman Malaki Hamrick are listed behind Taylor on the depth chart at UNC's Jack position and are expected to help fill the void in his absence.
North Carolina (7-1, 4-0) is ranked 15th in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll. The Tar Heels meet Virginia (3-5, 1-4) at noon Saturday (ACC Network).
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Noah Taylor, UNC football's sack leader, out 2022 season with injury
