Tag: Conner Harrell

Tar Heels shake off slow start, turn on the jets for dominating bounceback against Campbell

UNC started slow in Saturday’s 52-point victory vs. Campbell, but scored 52 unanswered points in a much-needed bounce-back victory.

After one quarter of play in Saturday’s UNC-Campbell game, UNC looked a lot like the same team with consecutive losses in its back pocket.

The Tar Heels and Camels were tied at seven apiece, with Campbell’s FCS offense moving the ball at will. UNC must have pressed an in-game reset button between quarters, because it looked like a brand new team from there on out.

Headlined by star running back Omarion Hampton’s fourth-consecutive 100-yard outing, which included him reaching 1,000 yards for the season on a momentum-swinging, second-quarter touchdown run, the Tar Heels rode a balanced offensive attack to a 59-7 victory.

Just as UNC did so well before its 2-game slide, it dominated the second quarter and put Saturday’s matchup out of reach.

First up for Carolina was Hampton’s 1,000-yard-reaching, 54-yard touchdown run nearly halfway through the second quarter.

Nearly six minutes later, the Drake Maye-Devontez Walker connection worked for a 31-yard score. With 27 seconds left in the half, Hampton punched the ball in the end zone for a 4-yard score, giving UNC a 28-7 lead going into halftime.

Carolina didn’t stop out of the break.

Just 37 seconds into the second half, Maye connected with tight end John Copenhaver for a 25-yard touchdown. J.J. Jones, UNC’s receiving yardage leader, caught a 21-yard pass halfway through the third quarter for his first score of the year.

Carolina kicker Noah Burnette added a 43-yard field goal to round out the third-quarter scoring, then backup quarterback Conner Harrell gashed the Campbell defense for a 61-yard touchdown run.

The Tar Heel defense didn’t play too bad, holding an opponent to single-digits for the second time this year, but Campbell’s offense is nowhere near the level of an FBS school.

This is exactly the type of rebound game UNC needed. It dominated in every aspect of the game, looking a lot like the early-season team on the edge of a CFP spot.

And what better day to win big than on a beautiful, sunny November day in Kenan Stadium?

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2023 UNC Football Preview: Quarterback

The UNC football quarterback room, led by Heisman Trophy contender Drake Maye, will go five quarterbacks deep this Fall.

The University of North Carolina football program’s been lucky to have some pretty talented quarterbacks come through Chapel Hill in the past couple decades – T.J. Yates, Bryn Renner, Marquise Williams and Sam Howell, to name a few.

Their most talented quarterback, however, is the current starter – Drake Maye.

If you’ve watched college football, you know the type of talent Maye is. He has the arm strength of Peyton Manning and the rushing ability of Lamar Jackson. Maye finished fourth (4,321) among FBS quarterbacks in passing yards last season, one spot behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, while also leading UNC in rushing yards (698).

Barring any freak injuries or off-the-field controversies, Maye is the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback. This will likely be Maye’s last season in Chapel Hill, as he is projected to be an early-first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Just over two weeks away from the 2023 opener at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 2 against South Carolina (7:30 p.m., ABC), let’s take a look at UNC’s quarterback room:

Tennessee target Conner Harrell to be featured on ESPNU

Tennessee target Conner Harrell to be featured on ESPNU.

2022 quarterback Conner Harrell from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama received his first offer following Friday’s win over Spain Park.

The offer came from Tennessee.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Harrell threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns, as well as scoring two rushing touchdowns in Friday’s contest.

Thompson is now set to take on another Birmingham area team in Hewitt-Trussville Friday.

The showdown featuring Harrell will be televised by ESPNU and kick off is slated for 7:30 p.m. CST.

Tennessee ‘has done their research’ on 2022 quarterback Conner Harrell

Thompson head coach Mark Freeman recently discussed Harrell being offered by Tennessee.

“I have been friends with a lot of those guys at Tennessee a long time, and I just think it’s important Conner remembers Tennessee offered him first as far as SEC schools go because he will have a bunch of offers,” Freeman told Vols Wire. “He is a great person, comes from a great family and I think he is a can’t miss person.

“It’s his his first big offer and somebody up there has done their research. That says a lot about Tennessee, too, that they are doing their work on him. They can see what type of player he will be.”

Tennessee target Conner Harrell totals 468 yards, five touchdowns against Spain Park

The Thompson High School product has been putting up big numbers, and is starting to hear from SEC programs.

Tennessee target Conner Harrell, a 2022 dual-threat quarterback from Thomspon High School in Alabaster, Alabama, totaled 468 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-35 victory over Spain Park Friday.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Harrell threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns, as well as scoring two rushing touchdowns.

Following the win over Spain Park, Tennessee became the first school to extend a scholarship offer to Harrell.

He does not yet hold a star rating and only has one offer, but Harrell’s recruiting profile could take a major jump if he continues to contribute significantly to Thompson’s success this season. Thompson is the same program that produced former 5-star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa that transferred from Alabama to Maryland in the offseason.

Tennessee ‘has done their research’ on 2022 quarterback Conner Harrell

“I have been friends with a lot of those guys at Tennessee a long time, and I just think it’s important Conner remembers Tennessee offered him first as far as SEC schools go because he will have a bunch of offers,” Freeman said. “He is a great person, comes from a great family and I think he is a can’t miss person.

“It’s his his first big offer and somebody up there has done their research. That says a lot about Tennessee, too, that they are doing their work on him. They can see what type of player he will be.” — Thompson head coach Mark Freeman

Tennessee ‘has done their research’ on 2022 quarterback Conner Harrell

Tennessee ‘has done their research’ on 2022 quarterback Conner Harrell.

Tennessee has offered 2022 quarterback Conner Harrell.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect is from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama. Harrell announced his offer from the Vols on Twitter.

Thompson head coach Mark Freeman discussed Harrell receiving an offer from Tennessee with Vols Wire.

“He’s going to be a good player,” Freeman said of Harrell. “He has been here in our system for awhile. It is his first year to start as he is the next one up and he has done a great job. He is dynamic because he has speed, is long, has good length, he can hit the open field and can out-run people. His arm is really good — throws it about 73 yards right now.

“I think the stuff we run, he will be ready to go in any college system that does something comparable to what we are doing.”

Thompson’s offense consists of a spread tempo with a lot of quarterback reads, both before and after the snap.

Harrell is only four games into his high school career as a starting quarterback. Freeman credits Tennessee for evaluating his signal-caller since the 2022 prospect does not have any big offers until now.

“I have been friends with a lot of those guys at Tennessee a long time, and I just think it’s important Conner remembers Tennessee offered him first as far as SEC schools go because he will have a bunch of offers,” Freeman said. “He is a great person, comes from a great family and I think he is a can’t miss person.

“It’s his his first big offer and somebody up there has done their research. That says a lot about Tennessee, too, that they are doing their work on him. They can see what type of player he will be.”

Tennessee currently has one commitment for its 2022 class.

Vols’ 2022 commitment tracker