UNC Football: Jacolby Criswell to enter transfer portal

On Sunday morning, Jacolby Criswell announced that he will be entering the transfer portal, ending his time with the UNC football program.

Heading into the 2022 season, the UNC football program had a quarterback competition brewing throughout training camp.

At this point, we all know the details: Drake Maye ended up winning the job, and fully holding onto it with a stellar season as a redshirt freshman.

This left Jacolby Criswell as the odd man out, as the sophomore quarterback once again found himself in a backup role.

Criswell was a backup for Sam Howell during the 2020 and 2021 seasons and was Maye’s understudy throughout the 2022 campaign. As Maye continued to thrive under center, the writing was on the wall that the Morrilton, Arkansas native may explore other opportunities to play.

Now that the ACC Championship game is over, Criswell made it official with an early-morning social media post.

The former four-star recruit announced that he will enter the transfer portal. He’ll have three seasons of college eligibility remaining wherever he decides to continue his career.

Criswell played in 14 total games during his UNC football career. Across those games, he was 18-for-31 passing for 204 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He also rushed for 133 yards and one score on 20 attempts.

The transfer portal almost guarantees that players will leave programs to pursue other opportunities, as Criswell was a player that was identified early as a potential transfer option. Looking for an opportunity to play, you can’t blame him for this move, as he waited his fair share of time in Chapel Hill and simply didn’t find a full-time role to work with.

Criswell becomes one of the first UNC football players to hit the transfer portal. The question remains: who may be following him down this path in the near future?

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