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North Carolina, Mack Brown still uncertain at quarterback ahead of opener
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North Carolina has 2 quarterbacks, and you know how the saying goes.
Mack Brown told reporters at his press conference on Friday that UNC plans to play both Max Johnson and Conner Harrell against Minnesota in the season opener next Thursday. The Tar Heels are still trying to settle on Drake Maye’s replacement, and it seems the quarterback competition that has raged all offseason will continue into the start of the new year.
“Right now, we’re planning on playing both quarterbacks, depending on how the game dictates,” Brown said. “One of the problems we had last year was Conner came in the West Virginia game without any experience because Drake didn’t play in the bowl game. So, part of developing depth — we want to have 2 quarterbacks ready to play. That’s important to us.”
Brown mentioned his loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game to conclude the 2009 season, saying UT hadn’t developed the No. 2 option enough to remain competitive in the game after his starting quarterback was injured early on. (Texas lost 37-21 as the backup was picked off 4 times.)
Later, Brown was asked to clarify if the plan to play both quarterbacks was because neither player won the job outright in camp.
“We will have both quarterbacks ready and we will play them based on how the game will dictate,” Brown said. “They’re both good. They’re both good enough to win. But we’ve got to figure out what during the game works the best to win the game. And that’s it.”
Brown reiterated multiple times the staff believes both quarterbacks are capable of winning games.
“We’ll be sitting there watching the game and say, ‘This is working, we’ll let it go.’ [Or say] ‘This isn’t working, let’s change it up and let’s try something else,'” Brown continued.
Harrell is a 6-foot-2 redshirt sophomore from Alabaster, Alabama. He played in 5 games last season, including a start against West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. In the bowl game, Harrell went 18-for-27 for 207 yards and a touchdown but he was picked off twice in a 30-10 loss.
Johnson transferred to North Carolina this offseason after spending 4 years at LSU and Texas A&M. He has 22 career starts under his belt and has thrown 784 passes at the Power conference level.
In July, Brown told ESPN he thought the Tar Heels could be a more complete football team in the absence of Maye — a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Brown said UNC would be able to run the ball better and play better defense. With Maye (and Sam Howell before him), Brown said, “You’re trying to win the Heisman. You’re throwing it every time.” With a less established name at quarterback, Brown said the Tar Heels will play more complementary football.
But Brown also said at the start of fall camp he hoped to be able to identify a starting quarterback 10 days before the season.
“What I’ve liked, in my experience, is about 10 days or a week before the start (of the season), let him be the starter so he’s comfortable talking to the team as a starter and also let him talk to you all before the game,” Brown said after the first day of camp.
Brown also pointed out Friday that UNC has just 1 offensive lineman on the roster who has started a game. The opener against the Gophers will be a significant data point for the staff as they figure out how this offense is going to function around star rusher Omarion Hampton.
But having so much still up in the air with the season a week away might be a bit unnerving for Tar Heel faithful. North Carolina went 8-5 last year, but lost 5 of its last 7 games. Expectations for the 2024 squad are tempered. At ESPN Bet, UNC has a total of 7.5 with equal action on both the over (-120) and the under (-110).
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The opener against Minnesota next Thursday is scheduled for kickoff at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. UNC is a 2.5-point underdog.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
