North Carolina Football: Top 3 All-ACC candidates for 2020
By Nick Fiore
3. Sam Howell, Quarterback
Sam Howell is a legit Heisman candidate and a superstar in the making. As a freshman in 2019, Howell threw for 3,641 yards, 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
In the Clemson game, going up against one of the best defenses in the country, Howell looked calm, cool and collected, throwing for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He led a 16-play, 8:37 drive that put the Tar Heels within one point. On that drive, Howell was 4-for-6 for 32 yards, and ran for a first on a fourth down.
The coaching staff limited the number of designated runs early on in the season, but Howell showed off his legs in the bowl win over Temple where he rushed for 53 yards on three carries.
The offense struggled a bit early on but once the young group got more comfortable in Phil Longo’s air-raid scheme, the points started coming. In the second half of the season the Heels averaged 39 points a game and became a top 10 offense.
Over Howell’s last four games with 20-plus passing attempts, he threw for an average of 342.5 yards per game, which would’ve been fifth best in the country over the 2019 season. Almost the entire Carolina offense is back in 2020 and they’ll be looking to keep that momentum going. Howell has a talented receiving corps that he’ll be throwing the ball to again.
Given his talent in the pocket combined with the ability to run, and what this offense looked like in Longo’s scheme, we could be in store for a special season from Howell.