North Carolina linebacker Chazz Surratt will return for his senior season, he announced on Monday.

The news was first reported by the News & Observer's Jonathan Alexander. A UNC spokesman did not specifically confirm the report but maintained that the Tar Heel football program does not expect any underclassmen to leave Carolina early for the NFL Draft. UNC head coach Mack Brown also said in December that he does not expect anyone to leave early.

Surratt was named First-Team All-ACC after finishing the regular season with a team-high 110 tackles, 13.5 tackles-for-loss, 6.0 sacks, one interception, eight quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Surratt’s 110 tackles were tied for the most in the conference this year and were tied for 25th nationally. His six sacks were tied for 11th in the ACC and were the fourth most by a linebacker. The 13.5 TFL are tied for seventh in the conference.

Surratt added five tackles and 1.5 tackles-for-loss in the UNC's 55-13 bowl game win over Temple on Dec. 29. The Tar Heels finished the season 7-6.

Surratt made the move from quarterback to linebacker in the spring of 2019 and become one of the most productive defenders in the ACC in 2019. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior started every game for UNC and played nearly every snap.

The Tar Heels will now have both Surratt and starting interior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel back for the 2020 season. Rising sophomores Khadry Jackson and Eugene Asante are expected to factor into the linebacker rotation next season as well. The Tar Heels lose senior linebacker Dominique Ross to graduation. UNC adds class of 2020 linebackers Ethan West and Cedric Gray.

UNC will begin its winter offseason strength and conditioning program in January and spring practice in March. North Carolina opens the 2020 season vs. UCF in Orlando, Fla.