UNC Football: No separation just yet at quarterback position

Who will win the starting quarterback job for the UNC Football program? Well, no one has separated himself just yet in the competition

One of the biggest storylines for the North Carolina Tar Heels going into the 2019 season is the quarterback position. UNC has three quarterbacks battling for the starting spot at a position that has seen its struggles since Mitchell Trubisky left and was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Freshman quarterback Sam Howell and redshirt sophomores Jace Ruder and Cade Fortin are battling it out for that starting spot, hoping to be out there for that first series vs. South Carolina on August 31st. The battle started way back in the Spring during practices and the Spring Game and has now continued into August as the Tar Heels have opened up training camp.

But so far, none of the quarterbacks have separated themselves from the competition.

Head coach Mack Brown met the media earlier this week to talk about camp so far and was asked about the quarterback situation via Inside Carolina: 

"“There has been absolutely no separation to this point,” Brown told reporters via Inside Carolina’s Greg Barnes.“Probably the separation will come at scrimmage time because it is easier in a scrimmage when you are moving the ball and scoring points to see who has the best grasp of the team and the leadership,” Brown said. “I would think that we wouldn’t know a lot more about our quarterbacks until our second scrimmage.”"

The Tar Heels have been practicing since the first few days of August but they have yet to actually hold an 11-on-11 scrimmage. Brown’s quote of the separation coming at scrimmage time could happen in the coming days.

UNC is set to hold their first scrimmage this weekend, so the opportunity is there for one of these quarterbacks.

Howell is the four-star prospect that might be considered the favorite to win job just because of his fit with this offense. He has one of the better arms in the 2019 recruiting class and can move the ball down the field.

But both Fortin and Ruder have some experience.

The duo each played in games last season for UNC before suffering injuries that sidelined them for most of the year. They were each able to keep their redshirt by not hitting the minimum number of games played, giving them an extra season.

Both showed flashes of being a good quarterback but like Howell, they need time to develop.

We could also see a situation where Brown works in each quarterback in the season opener, trying to find the right guy. Whatever happens, getting the position right will be the biggest key to turning this program around.

For more on the UNC Football program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.