Howell And The Heisman

CHARLOTTE – Whether he wants the attention or not, Sam Howell is the cat’s meow when it comes to ACC football, and by November possibly the nation.

Howell is among a handful of college football players entering the season as the top candidates to take home the Heisman Trophy, which may be the most prestigious individual sports award on the American landscape.

Howell is certainly worthy of consideration. The North Carolina quarterback has started all 25 games the Tar Heels have played the last two seasons completing 496 of 770 pass attempts (64.4 percent) for 7.227 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. In addition, Howell has run for six touchdowns and has caught two TD passes.

But he doesn’t appear all that interested in the limelight. The junior from Indiana Trail, NC, fully recognizes that comes with the territory when you’re a gunslinging, touchdown-passing quarterback on one of the more up-and-coming programs in the nation. But he prefers the low-key approach, which is why you won’t find any haughty or over-the-top campaign from UNC pushing Howell for the hardware.

"We decided not to do it,” Howell said Wednesday at the ACC Kickoff. “I think it will all take care of itself. When you look at the past few Heisman winners, it's usually the best player on the best team that wins the trophy.”

And that is what Howell is all about.

"I just want everything to be about the team and I just want to make sure I give the team everything I've got on a daily basis,” he said in the breakout interview room with a throng of media hovering over recording every word emanating from his mouth.

“I don't want the team to think I'm worried about the next level or the Heisman Trophy. I just want to go out there every single game and give it all, leave it all on the field for my team."

Putting up amazing numbers is obviously the first part of winning a Heisman, but unless a player is just undeniably better than everyone else, they must play on national contenders. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson won it in 2016 on a team that finished 9-4 but was 9-3 when the votes were tabulated. However, the Cardinals spent 10 weeks ranked in the top 10 that season and were as high as No. 3 for three weeks, including the 11th weeks of the season, which was near mid-November. And he was clearly the nation’s best player.

Of the last eight Heisman winners, four played on national champions, one was in the title game that season, and the other two led their teams to the CFP, in addition to Jackson and the Cardinals.

UNC doesn’t have much national cache on the gridiron, so Howell and the Tar Heels must make a national splash for him to become the first Carolina player to win a Heisman. Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice finished twice in the voting in 1948 and 1949, making him the only two-time runner-up until Arkansas running back Darren McFadden finished second in 2006 and 2007. The only statue of a football player UNC has erected is of Justice.

The key here is quite clear" the Tar Heels must have a big season for Howell to have a chance.

“If we play well, Sam is going to play great,” UNC Coach Mack Brown said. “if we play well enough as a team around him, and we have a chance to win a lot of games, he'll be right in the mix of that Heisman thing regardless of what we say or do. If we don't play well as a team, it will drift away.”

Whether or not it drifts away likely won’t affect Howell. He may say all the right things about it, but his teammates know him best. They know what’s on his mind.

"He's always just been about team, togetherness,” senior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel said. “We were in there talking about all the accolades, all the stats, all the awards and stuff. That doesn't mean anything to Sam.

“Sam will go into a game and if he throws four interceptions and we win, like he will take that game over throwing for 500 yards and losing. He'd rather just win the games.”

Now, don’t be mistaken that Howell doesn’t care one way or the other. He is human, after all, and plenty of kids dream of being the best. So, who wouldn’t want to win the Heisman in his situation?

“I dreamed of being in this position as a kid and God has blessed me with the ability and an opportunity to be in this position…,” he said. “It’s just the ultimate blessing.”

He thinks about it, no doubt he does, but how much?

“Yeah, I’d like to say I don’t think about it, but I see it, I hear about it all the time,” he acknowledged.

And that is probably the most anyone is going to get from him on the topic at this time. Howell and the Heisman has a nice ring to it for those with a rooting interest in the Tar Heels, but for now, he is all about winning games. If he and the Heels do that, everything else will take care of itself.