Knowing that 2022 ACC Player of the Year Drake Maye was returning last season, the UNC football team didn’t have to stress about its quarterback situation.
With Drake Maye now in the NFL, looking to become the next great New England Patriots quarterback, North Carolina goes back to the drawing board under center. The Tar Heels return star running back Omarion Hampton and a deep tight end room, led by Bryson Nesbit, but carry a new group of wide receivers besides J.J. Jones and Nate McCollum.
UNC doesn’t have the luxury of knowing its starting quarterback this season, but it does have the luxury of three starting-caliber quarterbacks to choose from.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl starter Conner Harrell, Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson and Jacolby Criswell, who began his career in Chapel Hill, transferred back after a season at Arkansas.
With these three guys in the room, ESPN ranked North Carolina’s quarterback situation in its eighth tier (of 20) entering the fall.
Check out what ESPN has to say about Johnson regarding his Tier 8 spot:
“It’s UNC’s (Max) Johnson who no one seems to be overly excited about,” David Hale wrote. “Perhaps it’s that he has been stuck on two different SEC teams whose coaches ultimately got fired. Regardless, he has been pretty solid, if never entirely thrilling. He’s basically the Big Boi of college football — around forever, part of some big brands, always overshadowed and undervalued.”
I know the Tar Heels aren’t expected to do a ton this coming season, but they have a lot of unproven talent. That begins in the quarterback room, where either Harrell, Johnson or Criswell could start from Day One.
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