North Carolina, Florida A&M tee up ’22 season with QB questions

Studying about North Carolina’s quarterback pecking order must be one of many early discoveries of the faculty soccer season.

The Tar Heels, needing to exchange record-setting Sam Howell after his three seasons as a starter, will likely be one of many first groups in motion when Florida A&M visits Aug. 27 for a non-league sport in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The quarterback contenders are redshirt sophomore Jacolby Criswell and redshirt freshman Drake Maye. They have been pushed throughout preseason camp.

“These two have been right here. Drake has been right here a year-and-half,” Tar Heels coach Mack Brown mentioned. “Jacolby has been right here two years and a half. So there isn’t any holding again. We’re not frightened about their confidence. We’re frightened about them separating. So we’re bringing all of it.”

Maye is a youthful brother of Luke Maye, who was a North Carolina basketball standout on the 2017 title workforce.

The starter has fewer identified and established playmaking weapons accessible than anticipated.

Operating again British Brooks, who made important late-season contributions final 12 months, is out of the season after an damage. He was dubbed by Brown as the most effective blocker and finest when it comes to ball safety amongst this 12 months’s working backs. Receiver Antoine Inexperienced had surgical procedure for a collarbone damage and is anticipated to be out till a minimum of late September.

The brand new beginning quarterback will nonetheless have all-Atlantic Coast Convention receiver Josh Downs.

The Tar Heels can most likely use a contemporary begin to a season after a tremendously disappointing 2021 season. They had been ranked within the Prime 10 when the season started, however ended up with a 6-7 report with a bowl loss.

Modifications have prolonged effectively past the quarterback place. Gene Chizik has returned as defensive coordinator, changing dismissed Jay Bateman.

Florida A&M will arrive after a string of successes. The Rattlers had been 9-2 in 2019 earlier than the workforce’s cancelled 2020 season. They adopted that with a 9-3 report final 12 months and a first-round loss to Southeastern Louisiana within the Soccer Championship Subdivision playoffs. That outcome snapped an eight-game profitable streak.

But it might be wanting higher for Florida A&M.

“The dimensions of the fellows and the velocity and the athleticism is certainly improved,” coach Willie Simmons mentioned.

The mindset might be higher as effectively. Linebacker Isaiah Land, who led the FCS with 19 sacks final season, mentioned the Rattlers could make extra strides.

“For the previous two years, we had a championship-caliber workforce,” Land mentioned. “We simply did not have the self-discipline and management to be a championship workforce.”

The defensive entrance might be the power of the Florida A&M workforce.

On offense, Florida A&M has a big-time menace in receiver / punt returner Jah’Marae Sheread, who’s in his second season with the Rattlers after transferring from Texas State.

Taking part in on the so-called Week Zero has advantages for North Carolina.

“It is a actually good scenario for us as a result of we’ll have an additional week of apply, greater than Appalachian State, greater than Georgia State,” Brown mentioned in reference to the workforce’s subsequent two opponents. “After which we’ve got an open date earlier than Notre Dame. So the constructive is so very apparent. … The damaging is it makes your season lengthy on your coaches and your gamers.”

This sport has been dubbed by North Carolina because the HBCU Celebration Recreation. The college has plenty of weekend actions happening on campus related to the sport and connections to HBCUs. Plus, Florida A&M’s famed Marching 100 band will carry out pregame and at halftime.

It is a likelihood for Brown to direct a victory towards a workforce from Tallahassee, Fla., the place he is an alum of Florida State. As North Carolina’s coach, Brown is 0-8 vs. Florida State.