Criswell Discusses Why he Returned to UNC, his Mission and More

CHAPEL HILL – Jacolby Criswell is back home again.

He thought home may have been back in Arkansas, where he grew up, but the former and current North Carolina quarterback hopped in the portal after one season with the Razorbacks and returned to where he spent his first three years.

Criswell met with a few members of the media Monday afternoon at the Kenan Football Center to discuss his path back to UNC and what he looks to get out of his final two years of eligibility.

Criswell spent three seasons at Carolina and one at Arkansas, but can use one year as a redshirt and the COVID year giving him two more seasons.

At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, the college graduate will wear number 12 for the Tar Heels this season after wearing No. 6 in his first stint with the Heels and last fall with the Hogs.

Criswell played 88 snaps last season at Arkansas, including 61 in a 48-14 loss to Missouri in the Razorback’s final game of the year. He threw an 8-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter

Criswell entered the game on the Hogs’ third offensive series after starting quarterback K.J. Jefferson was knocked out of the game with a leg injury. Criswell went the rest of the way.

He was 12-for-20 with 96 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. He was credited with 15 runs for 29 yards, with five of the runs being sacks for a loss of 53 yards. So, when not sacked, Criswell ran 10 times for 82 yards.

The other three games in which Criswell appeared were Western Carolina (seven snaps), Auburn (12 snaps), and Florida International (eight snaps). He logged 116 snaps in three seasons at UNC.

He was 17-for-27 with 143 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

At UNC, Criswell was 18-for-31 with 204 yards, one score and one pick. So, in college, he’s 35-for-58 with 347 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Here is part of the Q&A session with Criswell:

Q: Why return to UNC?

CRISWELL: “As a young man, you never know what’s going to happen; you follow God’s path. I decided I had to leave and thought that was the best decision for me. Things came into hand where, obviously, I had no control over it, so I entered the transfer portal, and luckily enough Coach Brown and all the guys were on board with having me back. It was a done deal.

“Just playing along the guys I came in with, with younger guys, knowing the team that is here right now, and the culture that they’ve built, I mean, you can’t pass up on that.

“And being coached by Coach Brown, you’ve got Coach Lindsey here, all these new guys here, and it’s like I come back here and it’s still the same. And it’s like this is home. I thought home was leaving and going somewhere else, but in reality, this is home, this is where I want to be. This is where I want to end my college football career.”

Q: Last season didn’t go exactly as you wanted, was there a point in the season you knew you were going to move on?

CRISWELL: “I’d say midway through the spring. You get told one thing, you get told another. Sone things aren’t true, some things are. At the end of the day, new OC didn’t really know him. He came in with a guy he knew already, and I had to build that relationship. It just didn’t go my way.

“So, there was nothing I could do about it besides wake up in the morning, practice my tail off, do what I have to do. Regardless of what they decide, I’m the type of guy, I’m going to go out there and perform the way I perform. If things don’t go my way, it doesn’t go my way. I’ve got two years left of this thing, so it’s do or die at this point.”

Q: What was Mack’s pitch to you to come back?

CRISWELL: “Compete. As a quarterback, nothing is handed to you. I’m a competitor. I love to compete. Been here three years, competed with two great quarterbacks. I mean, you can’t take that; I can’t take that back. I’m really blessed with that opportunity, and I’m just here to compete.”

Q: Who was the first to contact, you or Carolina?

CRISWELL: “Me and a couple of guys were talking here and there, but that was about it.

Q: Was it a bit of a surprise to see them pop up in your inbox?

CRISWELL: “Yeah, somewhat. I can’t really say much about it, I’m really blessed about it because you hardly ever see it. So, I got that opportunity, either if I made the call or they made the call, one of the guys made the call, I’m glad it came out to be this way.”

Q: Had you talked to any of your old teammates, Drake (Maye), Sam (Howell), Josh (Downs) before you committed here?

CRISWELL: “Oh year. Before I even committed here, I was down here, got to meet up with all those guys, (I) kind of told them what was going through my head. And they all wanted me back. Me and Drake have talked a couple of times ever since he got drafted. Me and Sam have talked a couple of times. J.J. (Jones), big J.J. guy, Caleb (Hood) guy, John Copenhaver.

“So, they were all on board, and so it’s all about whenever a guys leaves and he comes back, it’s like you’ve got to, not necessarily win them over, but it’s like okay, what’s the reason, what’s behind it? And not too many people are accepting of another guy leaving and coming back, which I’ve very blessed with. So, that happened (and) I’m hear working my tail off competing doing whatever I have to do.”

Q: So, you were a back up to two NFL quarterbacks, do you believe in yourself to get there?

CRISWELL: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

Q: After being a backup all these years, is the main goal just to start?

CRISWELL: “Of course. You don’t play this sport to sit the bench… I know my right arm is one of the best in the country. This is the money maker, so it’s one of those things where I’m not going to let it go to waste.”

Q: Broad question, but aside from just playing time, what is the personal mission here?

CRISWELL: “You have Sam Howell, Drake Maye; I told Drake a while back, I said, ‘you beat me out, but eventually I want to win an ACC championship, something you didn’t do.’”

Q: How has it been coming back here, getting used to everything again and gearing up for fall camp that starts in a couple of weeks?

CRISWELL: “Quarterbacks practiced in the spring, I came in the summer. Now, it’s just all about getting in the playbook. The offense is similar. I wouldn’t say too similar, there are some tweaks here and there. But at the end of the day, it’s getting into the playbook, getting on Coach Lindsey’s good side, learning how he wants things done.”

Q: Are you concerned that expectations may be so high because of Sam Howell and Drake Maye?

CRISWELL: “Oh no, it’s my expectations. My expectation is to be the best I can be regardless of what Sam and Drake did. I’m my own guy, I’m not Drake, I’m not Sam Howell, I’m Jacoby Criswell. I have my own story, so in my story, I want to write it myself.”

Q: What did you learn in your time away from Chapel Hill?

CRISWELL: “That’s a great question. How much brotherhood meant to me. Coming in with all these guys and being close with all these guys and understanding these guys, if you go somewhere else you have to start a new life over.

“So being here, all these great people, including people outside of football; people that I met that are just working, doing things that they love, you can’t get that love anywhere else, especially as a new guy. I built those relationships, I want to build on those relationships.”

Q: The QB room has changed a lot since you left, what’s your assessment of your competition in the room?

CRISWELL: “Great men. Conner (Harrell), I was here when he was here. I learned from him, he learned from me. Max (Johnson), saw him when we (Arkansas) played against Texas A&M. Great guy. Regardless of the decision of what Coach Lindsey wants or what Coach Lindsey does, at the end of the day, we’re going to be in that QB room the whole year.

“No matter what, we don’t have any bad words toward each other whatsoever. Great quarterbacks. This is, I’d say, top three for QBU, so everybody can play. But at the end of the day, you can’t be mad if it’s not you.”

Q: Assuming you’re excited to play College Football 25, who is the first team you’re going to beat down?

CRISWELL: “Okay, so I went to Arkansas, they’re red, right? It took me like three months just to put something red on. So, I have to say NC State. That’s a funny story. When I actually came here, when I first saw Coach Brown, I was like, ‘Coach, the way you hammer about the red, it really took a toll on me when I left. It took me three months.’ So, I still barely had any red in my wardrobe.”

Q: In going with Criswell saying some comments were made about him that he didn’t care for, the following question was asked: What were some of those things you didn’t like?

CRISWELL: “I don’t go on social media looking up things, my mom is the big person with that. And I’m like, ‘mom, you’ve got to stop sending me this stuff. (laughter) I don’t care what people say.’ But she’s like, ‘yeah, but it bugs me, you’re my boy.’ I get that, but it’s just one of those things where they said about what happened at Arkansas, which wasn’t true whatsoever.

“I’m not going to get into that, but just weird things like that where people just obviously think they know what they’re doing because they want other people to comment on it. But at the end of the day, you can go for the clicks and likes, but we know the truth.”