Who is UNC football’s QB? Battle in Tar Heels’ spring sessions will be ‘fun to watch’
Spring football begins at North Carolina on Tuesday with an 8 a.m. practice, and a lot of eyes will be on quarterbacks Max Johnson and Conner Harrell.
Johnson is the transfer from Texas A&M, son of former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson. Harrell was Drake Maye’s backup at QB last season, but the starter against West Virginia in the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl after Maye entered the NFL Draft and opted out of playing.
“It should be a great competition,” UNC coach Mack Brown said Monday. “It will be fun to watch.”
But it won’t be the only intense position fight, Brown noted. With such staples of the program as Maye, linebacker Cedric Gray and center Corey Gaynor gone, and with some new assistant coaches in place, it will be a chance for some of the 30 new players to make a good first impression.
Brown said Monday the three players who face legal charges in connection with the death of a UNC student in a car crash would be allowed to participate in the spring drills. Zach Rice, Travis Shaw and Malaki Hamrick were charged with misdemeanors and are among 10 people charged after a high-speed crash Jan. 21 in Chapel Hill that killed Molly Rotunda.
“They’re going through the legal process right now,” Brown said. “It’s the first time something’s come up like that. We can’t investigate it. We’ve stayed out of it. It’s not our place.
“We’ll let the legal process take its course, and then what we will do is obviously they will have consequences with disciplinary action within our program. … I’m disappointed in the three that are being questioned, but that will work itself out.”
The Tar Heels, who begin the 2024 season Aug. 29 at Minnesota, began last season 6-0 — including a win over the Gophers at Kenan Stadium — and there was heady talk of a possible spot in the College Football Playoffs or Maye being in the running for the Heisman Trophy.
An upset loss to Virginia at home started a slide that ended with the Tar Heels finishing 8-5 after the 30-10 bowl loss to West Virginia.
The Heels allowed 31 or more points in their last six ACC games, then 30 in the bowl. Defensive coordinator Gene Chizik left soon after the season and was replaced by Geoff Collins, the former head coach at Georgia Tech.
“Geoff is going to come after everybody,” Brown said of Collins’ approach. “We can make huge strides on defense and on special teams. To get over eight or nine wins, it’s obvious what we have to do.
“We can’t keep talking about it. We’ve got to get better in those areas.”
Offensively, Johnson and Harrell each will bring their own strengths to the QB fight. Johnson played 30 games in the SEC, first with LSU and then Texas A&M while Harrell has shown loyalty to the UNC program at a time when many college players are impatient and are tempted to hit the transfer portal.
Brown’s assessment of Johnson: “He’s got a great pedigree with his dad winning the Super Bowl. … He can really run. He’s 6-5 , 240 and can really run. It’s surprising how athletic he is … He’s won some huge games and at the highest level. So that’s a lot. That’s a huge positive.
On Harrell: “Conner can fly and Conner at times has been a great passer. But because he’s played very little, he’s inconsistent some and lost some confidence. … Conner is an unbelievable young person. He’s never talked about transferring. He’s never asked for a penny for money, never griped about not playing. The guys all love him. All the boxes are checked for him, too.”
Brown said running back Omarion Hampton, the ACC’s top rusher in 2023, would be held out of some spring drills. A year ago, Hampton was unproven. He’s proven now.
“He’s got the job. He is our back,” Brown said.
Several players are being held out of spring work because of various injuries, including: tight ends John Copenhaver and Bryson Nesbit; wide receivers Gavin Blackwell and JJ Jones; running back Jordan Louie and linebacker Timmy Lawson.
UNC’s Spring Game will be April 20 at 3 p.m. at Kenan Stadium.
“That will give Conner Harrell and Max Johnson another game to compete in front of a crowd with this team,” Brown said of his QBs.
This story was originally published March 18, 2024 at 3:43 PM.
