CHAPEL HILL – Mack Brown has no interest in entertaining any thought about the prospect of not having Sam Howell behind center at any point this coming football season unless it is up to his discretion.
Who could blame him?
Howell enters the 2021 campaign as one of the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy and could be the top pick in the 2022 NFL draft. But contingencies are a part of coaching, so the North Carolina staff must have a backup plan. And in the case of who would take snaps for the Tar Heels if Howell cannot go for whatever reason, it likely will come down to one of two players.
Jacolby Criswell is in his second year in the UNC program and ballyhooed prospect Drake Maye, who was once committed to play at Alabama before being secured by Brown and quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Phil Longo, was previously committed to Alabama.
Criswell was also a 4-star prospect and No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the nation coming out of high school in Arkansas, so both players were highly coveted and are quite talented.
“What I can say about both of them, the ball jumps off their hands,” UNC senior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel said. “When they’re throwing their deep balls and they’re throwing it 55 yards, 60 yards downfield, it looks effortless. I can say that about all our quarterbacks. Great arms, great ball placement.”
They are young, and while Howell started the opener two years ago as a true freshman, players like him don’t come along all that often. And, he wasn’t hampered by the effects from COVID cancellations and protocols.
Criswell was an early enrollee in 2020, but UNC’s spring practice last year was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Offseason workouts were limited, so he had just the season to improve, and that can be a challenge when so much time is spent on game planning.
He did get into six games last fall, taking 44 snaps and completing three of four passes for 16 yards and one interception. Criswell also rushed for 26 yards on nine carries.
High school football for public schools was postponed last fall, so Maye, who attended Myers Park in Charlotte, did not play. In fact, the spring game was his first competitive game with pads on in nearly 16 months. So, it took him some time adapting to everything about being in college.
But both players have still impressed, even though they finished spring practice on different timelines.
“Jacolby is playing better right now since he’s been here,” Brown said at the conclusion of spring practice. “He’s had some good practices, he’s very talented, but it hasn’t transitioned to the field as well. I thought the last two scrimmages, he’s handled the drives well, he’s handled the offense well, and I do think he’s getting closer to being ready to play.
“Drake, right now, is very much like Sam was his first spring here. We’ve told Drake not to worry about it, ‘You’re very talented, you’re very smart, learn the offense, learn how to practice, but don’t be fighting for a job right now.’”
Even knowing down the road this could develop into something rather heated on the field, it is unlikely to carry into the Kenan Football Center or elsewhere. There is a clear respect already between the players, if you go by what Criswell has said.
“I'd say it's going really well right now,” Criswell said. “We're both competing hard at the quarterback position. Everyone wants to be the backup because you know you’ve got Sam Howell, he's obviously the starter.
“At the end of the day, it's a big question mark on who's the backup. So, me (and) Drake… we're just competing for that backup spot because we know, after he leaves, that person will probably be the next guy up for the upcoming season.”
And it is likely Howell will be gone to the NFL after this season. In his first two campaigns at UNC, Howell has passed for 7,227 yards and 68 touchdowns. No matter when the next guy is called on, he will have enormous shoes to fill. That decision will come in time.
So, while each player was fully evaluated at the end of spring practice, and that continues, Brown and Longo wanted Maye on a solid foundation of the offense and everything that goes along with being a college quarterback before truly putting both players to the fire.
“Sam pressed a little bit in that first spring, and it’s happened to Drake some,” Brown said. “So, we want him to be relaxed, and then we will be able to let those two guys compete all summer and let them compete for the backup job in the fall.”
Fall camp begins in early August and Carolina’s opener is at Virginia Tech on Sept. 3. Until then, the battle for Howell’s backup will be one of the more compelling storylines within the Kenan Football Center.
