CHAPEL HILL – Larry Fedora isn’t giving an inch on this whole quarterback deal going on at UNC. And there’s no reason to expect he will at this point.

Someone has to take the field Saturday against California, and it might not be until that moment anyone outside the program knows who the starting quarterback is. So Monday did nothing to end months-long speculation about the most important position on the field.

The first depth chart of the season was released Monday, and three players are listed at quarterback: Brandon Harris, Chazz Surratt and Nathan Elliott. There’s an “Or” after Harris, who’s listed first, and Surratt, who’s second, indicating nothing conclusive about who has won those spots on the depth chart.

So does Fedora plan on taking the announcement until Saturday and not release anything publicly?

“Yeah, I do, yeah, I do,” he said.

Does he anticipate more than one quarterback taking snaps Saturday?

“That’s a possibility, that’s a possibility,” Fedora replied. “We could go with one, we could go with two, we could go with three (and) we could possibly get to four.”

THI has previously reported three times the race is down to Harris and Surratt, something we stand by. In fact, Fedora took numerous questions about the situation and players I competition for the job, but nobody asked about Elliott. Now, it’s conceivable Elliott gets some reps and has been told to be ready, but as of now, at least for this weekend, this is a two-man race.

But it’s not much like the two-man battle in 2014 between then-junior Marquise Williams and then-redshirt freshman Mitch Trubisky. That was a legitimate competition, the coach said, but Williams later admitted the job two weeks before it was announced.

That’s not happening this time around. There’s no reason to believe either Harris or Surratt has been told they will start, but both have been told to be ready to play.

“That year it was probably just two guys that really had a legitimate shot,” Fedora said. “I think we have an opportunity to have more guys than those two this year.”

One school of thought bandied about is that the decision to not name a starter yet means the quarterbacks have simply not played consistently well, thus none have separated from a mediocre pack. Of course, it could be the opposite, that each has played quit well, making this a legitimately difficult decision by the staff.

“Well, I guess Saturday will determine that, won’t it,” Fedora jokingly asked. “The extension of it has been because nobody has separated themselves.”

As for Surratt’s growth, Fedora said the big jump occurred over the summer.

“I think he’s gotten quite a bit better than he was last year, and I think that’s just a full year into and understanding the expectations and how we practice and what the focus level has to be each day to be an elite quarterback.

“And sitting behind Trubisky for a year and watching him and watching how he approached each and every day and what he did was really good for him.”

As for Harris, is he at a point where Fedora is comfortable with his knowledge of the offense and handling its changing tempos?

“Yeah, I think he’s improved quite a bit in the few weeks that he’s been here just as far as the communication, understanding the offense, what we expect,” Fedora replied. “So yeah, I’m comfortable with where he is right now.”

At this time, it’s anybody’s guess, perhaps including the staff’s.