UNC Football: 2023 Positional Preview: Quarterback
Our 2023 UNC football positional previews begin at the quarterback position, as there’s no secret who will be under center this season.
Last summer, the UNC football program was focused on replacing Sam Howell.
In a two-way quarterback battle, Drake Maye came out on top as his production throughout his redshirt freshman season proved that the Tar Heels made the right call.
This season, there’s no doubt as to who the Tar Heels quarterback will be.
There’s a lot more clarity at the starting quarterback position than this time last year, but the backup roles still leave a bit of uncertainty.
Our 2023 positional previews begin under-center, as we’ll take a look at how things might shape up behind Maye this season.
What We Know
Drake Maye is a stud.
That’s evident based on his play last season and the hype surrounding him for the 2023 campaign. As a potential top-five NFL Draft pick next season, all eyes will be on Drake Maye as he hopes to lead the UNC football program to big things in his second year as the team’s starter.
We also know that redshirt freshman Conner Harrell has won the backup quarterback spot. If something were to happen, Harrell would get the first crack at playing time.
There’s no Jacolby Criswell in town to provide a veteran presence at the backup position, as other than Maye, the Tar Heels quarterback room doesn’t have much experience to work with.
No offense to Harrell, but Tar Heels fans are hopeful that Maye is healthy and can take every available snap this season.
The Key Players
Drake Maye
Maye is coming off a historical first season as the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback.
During the 2022 season, Maye threw for 3,847 yards and 35 touchdowns to go along with a team-leading 629 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.
The Tar Heels quarterback became just the ninth FBS quarterback since 2010 to post 3,500 passing yards, 35 passing touchdowns, 500 rushing yards, and five rushing scores in a single season. Maye also became the only ACC player over the last 25 seasons to record at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Maye is viewed as one of the top players in the country, as he’s expected to be a top-5 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
2022 Stats: 342-517 passing, 4,321 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 184 rushing attempts for 698 yards and seven touchdowns.
Conner Harrell
After struggling a bit during practices late in the 2022 season, Harrell has turned heads while practicing this spring throughout the start of training camp. He beat out true freshman Tad Hudson for the backup gig, as his experience with the offense and a full season under his belt give him an advantage over the newcomer at this point in the backup quarterback battle.
With Maye expected to head to the NFL next season, Harrell is a player who should be right in the mix to earn the starter’s job next in 2024.
Outlook
This is a big year for the UNC football program, as they not only have high expectations for this season but want to also set themselves up nicely for the future.
If Maye departs for the NFL, the Tar Heels will be in the same position they were last training camp when Howell moved on. We knew about the hype surrounding Maye upon his arrival on campus, but none of the current quarterbacks on the roster possess that same level of hype.
We’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, but look for the UNC football program to use this year as a developmental year for the team’s backup quarterbacks. As much as we would all love to see Maye back for his senior season, it doesn’t hurt to start grooming the next in line to take over the reins next season.
Depth Chart
Starter: Drake Maye
Backup: Conner Harrell
Reserves: Tad Hudson, Jefferson Boaz, Russell Tabor
Drake Maye named ACC Player of the Year. dark. Next
Follow us @KeepingItHeel on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of UNC football news, updates, and recruiting.