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UNC Football: Sam Howell named to Walter Camp preseason first team

By Zack Pearson

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 02: Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels heads to the field to warm up prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 02, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JANUARY 02: Sam Howell #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels heads to the field to warm up prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies during the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 02, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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The UNC Football program enters the 2021 season with a lot of hype around the team and rightfully so. Mack Brown’s team is coming off an Orange Bowl appearance in 2020 and despite losing to Texas A&M, they are a team considered to take a big step forward.

Despite losing Javonte Williams, Michael Carter, Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, the Tar Heels’ offense returns one of the top players in the country in quarterback Sam Howell. Howell is entering his third season with the program after starting in the previous two and will do so as a potential Heisman favorite.

But while we are still a few months away until kickoff in Week 1, Howell is already earning preseason honors.

On Thursday, the Walter Camp foundation announced their preseason All-America teams and it’s headlined by Howell on the first team.

Howell is the only UNC player to make the preseason team but he did earn first-team honors, a big preseason achievement for the quarterback. He beat out other candidates such as Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler (second team), Clemson’s D.J. Uiagalelei and USC’s Kedon Slovis among others.

It’s clear that Howell is not only among the top returning quarterbacks this year but the nation’s best players as well, and rightfully so.

In two seasons so far, Howell has thrown for 7,277 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while completing 64.4 percent of his passes for a quarterback rating of 168.8. This season will certainly be a tougher test for Howell as he is missing a lot of production including losing his two top receivers.

This UNC team should go as far as Howell can take them and potentially make a run at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.

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For more on Howell and other UNC Football players, please make sure to check back with Keeping It Heel.

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