North Carolina Football: Breaking down QB battle for 2019

Jace Ruder

Jace Ruder was the No. 1 recruit from Kansas in the 2018 class according to 247Sports. He attempted fives passes last year and completed four of them with one going for a touchdown. He was able to redshirt last year and ended up having a good 2019 spring game completing 5-of-7 pass attempts.

While Ruder may be the most athletic and natural runner out of the quarterbacks competing for the job, I don’t know if his passing game is where Sam Howell’s and Cade Fortin’s is right now — but Ruder has the edge in running ability.

Below is a clip from Ruder in high school demonstrating his athleticism and ability to run the ball.

So, who starts?

All three quarterbacks bring something valuable to the table for UNC, but at the end of the day I imagine Sam Howell will be named the starter. He has a good arm and is a good passer who can also be a threat on the ground, which is similar to the successful quarterbacks that Mack Brown had at Texas. Howell has a high ceiling and with the right coaching and development, could be a special talent for the Tar Heels.

Even if Howell isn’t named the starter for the South Carolina game, it will only be a matter of time before he gets his shot, unless one of the other guys absolutely runs away with it, which is unlikely.

With all that said, even if I am wrong and Howell isn’t the guy, whoever is under center will find some success and will have North Carolina back to bowl eligibility sooner rather than later.