Keeping It Heel
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UNC Football: Sam Howell among QBs with best PFF grades ever

By Blake Cockrum

ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 27: Quarterback Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drops back to throw a pass in the first half against the Temple Owls in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 27, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
ANNAPOLIS, MD - DECEMBER 27: Quarterback Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drops back to throw a pass in the first half against the Temple Owls in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 27, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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UNC football sophomore Sam Howell is among best true freshman quarterbacks ever according to Pro Football Focus

After a tremendous season that guided the Tar Heels to seven wins and a victory over Temple in the 2019 Military Bowl, Sam Howell received one of the highest grades for a true freshman quarterback that Pro Football Focus has ever recorded. His 2019 campaign was good for a 0.82 wins above average (WAA), just one spot below Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, whose 2018 season scored a 1.82 WAA.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Howell threw for 3,641 passing yards and 38 touchdowns last season — the most ever by a true freshman. He also ran for a touchdown, caught a touchdown and threw just seven interceptions on the season. He had a 61.4 completion percentage on the season, and a passer rating of 160.2.

He put together six games of 300 or more passing yards, and a career-high 401 in a 41-10 victory over the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh on November 11. He had eight games with at least three touchdown passes, and tossed four or more scores on three occasions. He threw a career-best five touchdowns in a six overtime loss to Virginia Tech in mid-October, and never threw for fewer than two scores in any game over the course of his rookie season.

Howell will be joined this season by a pair of terrific pass catchers in Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown, as well as running backs Javonte Williams and Michael Carter. On the defensive side of the ball, Chazz Surratt heads up a UNC defense poised to play better in 2020. Surratt, in particular, recorded a team-high 115 tackles, 6.5 sacks and three passes defended.

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