CHAPEL HILL – UNC sophomore quarterback Nathan Elliott was available to the media Monday at North Carolina’s annual Media Day to answer questions about battling for the starting job.

Elliott, who is the only QB on the roster than has thrown a pass in a game as a Tar Heel, spoke about the importance of knowing the playbook as thoroughly as possible and being reliable. He was also asked about LSU grad transfer Brandon Harris.

Here are a few snippets of what Elliott had to say:

On the QB battle one week into camp:

“It’s been good. There’s been a lot of really good competition and that’s what we want here. Competition breeds excellence.”

On Harris arriving in June and the other two QBs (Chazz Surratt and Logan Byrd) arriving a year ago, how much of an advantage does Elliott have, especially since he was the primary backup a year ago?

“You can say I have an advantage because I’ve been around the offense longer, I’ve been behind two great quarterbacks – Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky – and I learned a lot from them. And I think just repping it more has helped me, too.”

On what he brings to the field

“I would say my strengths are my mental game. I know the offense as well as you can know it. I have to be efficient, I have to make good decisions. That’s part of my game, just being efficient making the normal plays, not trying to do anything crazy.”