Via Inside Carolina
North Carolina junior defensive end Donte Paige-Moss has notified the school of his intention to enter the NFL Draft, according to a UNC official.
Paige-Moss, who posted 29 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss in a backup role in 2011, tore the ACL in his right knee during the Independence Bowl last week.
The Jacksonville, N.C. native had his biggest year in 2010, starting 12 games and recording 49 tackles, 13.5 tackles for losses of 77 yards and 7.0 sacks.
Paige-Moss was a five-star recruit and All-American out of high school, but made headlines with a couple off-the-field issues during his freshman year. A month after enrolling in 2009, he was charged with misdemeanor simple assault following an altercation with a teammate, though the charge was dropped and he was disciplined internally. In the 2009 regular season finale against NC State, a post-game altercation led to him being suspended by then-head coach Butch Davis for the team’s bowl game.
This is not a surprise. It might not be the best idea in the world seeing that Paige-Moss was not even a starter and he will be recovering from a torn ACL which could impact his pre-draft workouts. However, it is clear based on previous incidents and recent tweets from Paige-Moss(some coming from the locker room during the bowl game while his knee was being examined) expressing dissatisfaction with fans and coaches alike that he would probably not give the new coaching staff a shot. For Paige-Moss to enter the NFL Draft with a fresh knee injury speaks volumes of his desire to leave Chapel Hill as soon as humanly possible.
Coaching transitions are often dotted with players leaving the program. Paige-Moss is the first in UNC’s transition to Larry Fedora. He likely won’t be the last.
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