UNC Football: Update on the Tar Heels quarterback battle

Who will start at quarterback when the Tar Heels open against Cal on September 2nd?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are just over a week away from opening up the 2017 college football season at home against Cal.

It will be the first chance we to see the Tar Heels in action this season, months after the Spring Game.

But one major question looms as UNC enters the 2017 season. Who will start at quarterback?

The competition began once Mitchell Trubisky left UNC to go to the NFL Draft and was selected No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bears.

With the departure of Trubisky, UNC would return Nathan Elliott, Chazz Surratt and Manny Miles as quarterbacks who have practiced in the team’s system. But they also landed graduate transfer Brandon Harris from LSU.

Harris missed the Tar Heels Spring Game and practices, joining the team officially after that.

Earlier in the Spring the two favorites to win the job and lead UNC’s offense were Harris and Elliott.

That may have changed however.

Head Coach Larry Fedora has yet to name his starter for the opener against Cal and we should probably expect one soon.

The latest from UNC practice this past week suggests that the race is down to two and it might not be who you think.

Inside Carolina’s Greg Barnes wrote a piece on the quarterback race, updating it as the Tar Heels continue to practice.

Here’s what Barnes writes:

"Team sources have indicated that Harris and Surratt have emerged as the frontrunners – Harris worked with the ones during the media portion of practice on Monday – although the coaching staff is adamant there is no clear No. 1 at this point."

The article also notes that Elliott is “neck-and-neck” with both Harris and Surratt, making it a three horse race.

Harris has the most experience of the trio, playing in 22 games over his three year career for LSU but he did struggle. The quarterback failed to be consistent with the Tigers and was even benched.

Surratt is a dual-threat quarterback that is thought of as the future of the program despite UNC recruiting two quarterbacks in 2018. Surratt can come in and play the next three years, giving you a solid option.

Next: 5 X-Factors for UNC in 2017

Whatever Fedora decides, it will be interesting. The Tar Heels will continue to practice this week and next, installing some game preparation into their practices.