National outlets showing high expectations for UNC quarterback Sam Howell in 2020
North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is once again catching the eyes of many observers.
Howell, who is entering his second season with the Tar Heels, was listed as college football’s No. 3 quarterback for the 2020 season, according to The Sporting News.
He trailed only Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, both Heisman hopefuls.
The expectations for Howell have grown significantly after a successful 2019 season. He finished with 3,641 passing yards and an FBS single-season freshman record 38 passing touchdowns. He threw only seven interceptions.
Howell was voted ACC Rookie of the Year in 2019 and voted to USA Today’s Freshman All-America team.
The Tar Heels finished the 2019 season 7-6 in Mack Brown’s first season in his return as head coach. Before that, the Tar Heels finished 2017 and 2018 5-18.
A big reason for that jump was Howell.
If college football does resume next season, a successful season for Howell appears to be on the horizon, barring injuries.
Next season, the Tar Heels are expected to return 10 of their 11 starters on offense, including all their top wide receivers. It will also be Howell second season in the same offense.
Brown has said that he expects the playbook to open up next season with healthy backup quarterbacks. The Tar Heels were limited some in 2019 after redshirt freshman Jace Ruder injured his leg early in the year and missed the rest of the season.
That meant Howell was the only scholarship quarterback available. As a result, UNC limited the number of run-pass option plays, and designed runs for Howell to prevent unnecessary injury.
UNC was not able to host spring practice or its spring game because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an April interview, Howell said he’s been watching a lot of film and working out with his personal trainer, former Duke quarterback Anthony Boone, in Charlotte.
It’s unclear when college sports will return. Brown said in an interview earlier this week that he and his staff are preparing as if they will return to work in June, although he and his staff have not been given any direction yet.
Howell isn’t the UNC player receiving high praise. Last week, ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper listed UNC linebacker Chazz Surratt as the No. 2 inside linebacker in the 2021 NFL draft.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 2:10 PM.
