UNC depth chart breakdown - quarterbacks: Sam Howell gets the full playbook
North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell smashed all kinds of school records en route to arguably the best season a freshman has ever had on offense in Chapel Hill. What he might do for an encore in his sophomore season is downright scary to think about after listening to offensive coordinator Phil Longo.
Longo said the second year of installing a new offense typically is when it really opens up because the first season is spent just trying to get players to be instinctive.
“Last year, we were probably more limited than I’m used to being the first season because of the injury situation in the quarterback room,” Longo told reporters during a video interview. “This year is a lot of fun, and I smile when I think about it, because we have been able to expand (the playbook) because we have more depth at quarterback.”
Last year’s playbook worked out okay. Keep in mind, Howell threw more touchdown passes (38) than the ACC’s anointed one in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (36), who was just named the conference’s preseason Player of the Year in a media poll. Howell’s 3,641 passing yards was second in school history for a single season, surpassed only by Mitch Trubisky’s 3,748 yards in 2017.
“We’ve been able to expand because all these veterans coming back can handle the little wrinkles,” Longo said. “So I think the full playbook is open this year. And really, this year is what you should see out of our offense for the rest of the time now.”
Who is expected to start?
This time last season, Howell was the reason why no one really knew what to expect from the Heels. Now, heading into the season opener against Syracuse, Howell is the reason why so many around the nation expect so much from UNC. If Howell can avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, he should again compete with Lawrence to lead the ACC in passing yards. Howell fell just 25 yards short of doing so last season. Carolina hasn’t had a quarterback lead the league in passing yards since Chris Keldorf did it with just 2,347 yards in 1996.
Who are the key reserves?
Sophomore Jace Ruder and freshman Jacolby Criswell are competing to be Howell’s primary backup. Ruder has the advantage having played last season, albeit it sparingly, before getting injured. Brown said neither has separated themselves enough to claim No. 2 on the depth chart. “Right now Phil would have a package for both of them that he feels lend toward their abilities more than not,” Brown said. “...And then we would just play the one that we feel like most ready to play in the Syracuse game.”
Who might surprise us?
Criswell is one of the players hurt most by the cancellation of spring practice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arkansas native enrolled early but didn’t get the benefit of learning the offense in game-like conditions. Longo said he’s still made good progress, but naturally, his command of the offense is behind the more experienced Howell and Ruder. “The thing Jacolby is doing right now is — he’s an athlete himself — he’s a really good runner,” Longo said. “And he’s done a fantastic job throwing the football.”
What are the group’s strengths?
All three quarterbacks bring different skill sets to the offense, but ultimately they all can throw. Howell was especially accurate on going deep. He totaled 31 completions for plays of 30 yards or more. The amount of skill players the Heels have returning should make the offense that much more explosive this season, no matter who is under center. “We feel like we can do more with Sam Howell now that I have two solid guys behind him,” Longo said. “As opposed to the situation we were in last year where we got down to (former walk-on) Vincent Amedola as the only other guy in the quarterback room.”
What are the group’s weaknesses?
Last season, Howell wouldn’t exactly be described as a dual threat. He didn’t do much in the way of making opponents pay with their feet. Carolina ranked ninth in the ACC with 37 sacks allowed. Some of that, of course, can be blamed on the offensive line and the pass protection. But Howell was culpable too, for holding on to the ball too long instead of throwing it away. Perhaps now that Longo feels more comfortable allowing Howell to run, the Heels will improve in the category.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 3:05 PM with the headline "UNC depth chart breakdown - quarterbacks: Sam Howell gets the full playbook."