GoHeels Exclusive: Howell's Helper

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Anthony Boone had only been training quarterbacks for QB Country Charlotte for a short while when his mother came to him about four years ago and asked if he could take on a new client.

At the time, Boone said his mother, Jenice, was serving as a director of an educational program in Union County, N.C. Each month, she and other directors from across the county would meet and discuss the program. And it was over the course of those meetings that she got to know one of the other directors, Amy Howell.

Initially, Jenice and Amy engaged in casual chitchat. But eventually, their conversations shifted to their sons – Boone, the former Duke quarterback who led the Blue Devils to the 2013 Coastal Division title, and Sam Howell, then an up-and-coming freshman quarterback at Sun Valley High School.

All that led to Jenice proposing the idea of them training together. And before long, Boone said he found himself at Sun Valley for a basic introductory workout and watching Howell in awe.

"He had talent out the wazoo at a young age, and not only arm talent," Boone said. "I've got a lot of kids who have a lot of arm talent and they have a cannon for an arm, but they don't have a lot of control. He had a lot of command with a lot of arm talent.

"I was like, 'S---, this kid is really good.'"

Howell has only gotten better since then, going from a promising high school freshman to a top-100 prospect who garnered offers from most Power 5 programs. Now, as just a freshman, he's on the verge of one of the best seasons by any quarterback in North Carolina history.

Through seven games, Howell has completed 149 of 244 passes for 1,892 yards, already the second most by any UNC freshman quarterback in a season. At his current pace of 270 yards per game, he'd not only surpass T.J. Yates' freshman mark of 2,655, but would end the regular season with the fourth-most passing yards for any Tar Heel with over 3,200.

Perhaps even more impressive is Howell's touchdown total. He already owns the school record for single-season passing touchdowns by a freshman with 20. With 11 more, he'd surpass Mitch Trubisky's mark for the most by any Carolina quarterback in a season. He'd also find himself nearly halfway to Darian Durant's career record of 68.

Some people might be surprised by Howell's immediate success. But not Boone, who has trained the quarterback ever since that initial meeting.

"I think he saw the bigger picture faster than a lot of kids his age, which accounts for his success and his want and drive to be the best and his want and drive to understand …" Boone said. "Anybody who plays at a high level, especially Power 5, knows he's not out here running around, running a 4.4 (40-yard dash) and doing Johnny Manziel stuff. He's out here dissecting defenses and getting the ball out on time and sitting in the pocket and making big-time NFL throws.

"He's ahead of the curve and he still hasn't seen anything yet. He's on the right track to be very successful and extend his career as long as he wants to."

Boone describes Howell as "probably the most behind-the-scenes guy you'll meet." He's calm, cool and collected on the field. And he's the same off it.

During the early stages of his recruitment, Boone said Howell would send college coaches his way to gather background information. Most, if not all, of them asked the same question: Does he have any personality? Boone always answered with a resounding yes.

"But when it comes to the way he walks, the way he talks, he's strictly business," Boone said. "That's all he wants to do. If he comes to work out, we may share a few laughs here and there, but he comes, he shows up, and he may not talk the entire time. We may talk football, barely, but really, he just shows up and he works and that's it."

Howell's film-study habits have been well documented since the season began. On Sundays, he and Phil Longo review the previous game. As they do, Howell takes notes on what he needs to improve on. Howell spends the rest of his time with Longo preparing for the next opponent. But he still goes back and reviews the tape from the previous game on his own to ensure he doesn't miss anything.

Overall, Howell has estimated he watches film about five hours each day.

Most quarterbacks don't understand the importance of studying film – or even how to watch it – until they get to college. But Boone helped ease that transition for Howell.

Ahead of Howell's senior season at Sun Valley, Boone said he had him go back and watch the last three games of his junior campaign. He instructed Howell to break down every offensive play and what the defense did. He then told Howell to give himself a plus or minus based on the decision he made. Boone said it took them two and a half hours to recap each game.

Boone said Howell also came by his house each week to discuss the defense he was playing against, where his eyes should be working and what he should see, among other intricacies.

"Some kids, you don't want to teach them that stuff too early, because they get overwhelmed and they end up playing slow," Boone said. "But he kept coming back, wanting more and really understanding it, so I could start really throwing the kitchen sink on him – the upper level, college stuff he was going to see."

Now that Howell is in college, he and Boone don't meet each week. But they still text each other every day. Boone said he'll also FaceTime Howell twice a week.

The first time, they'll break down the defense that Howell is getting ready to face and what he thinks his keys to success will be. Boone will then FaceTime Howell after the game, and he'll tell him what he thought he did well and what he could've done better, as well as ask questions about certain reads and concepts.

"He's done it before and he's had success at this level," Howell said. "And he also played in the ACC at Duke and he played everybody we play. So, he kind of just knows the game very well. He's a really bright guy. He kind of just knows what everybody is going to do and he kind of knows the problems I'm going to go through because he went through it himself.

"So, that's probably the biggest thing is every single situation I go through, I just talk to him for advice because he's been through it."

Howell's relationship with Boone might be built around football. But over time, especially the last two years, Boone said it's become about more than that.

Boone said he and Howell often chat about school, relationships and each other's families. Every time they talk, Howell always asks about Boone's 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son. The former rushes to the phone to say hello whenever she hears Howell's voice. Apparently, she's not the only one.

"After the Miami win, he FaceTimed me at like 1 a.m.," Boone said. "My wife rolls over and is like, 'Hey, good game! We were watching it.' I told him the other day, 'I was my wife's biggest quarterback fan until you came along.'

"She loves watching him, my kids love watching him. It makes this thing fun. It makes it really cool that my wife and my kids are onboard with him and really supportive."

Boone attended Howell's first career game against South Carolina in Charlotte. Based on what he's seen while watching the rest on TV, he said it's evident that Howell is "a totally different player" now than he was back in August.

He anticipates he'll be saying the same thing this time next year, at which point Howell will be accustomed to the defenses he's facing and have had an entire offseason with UNC's strength and conditioning staff.

"People are going to see something special over the next three or four years, whatever it may be," Boone said. "People just need to buckle up and get ready for a ride because the kid is going to take Chapel Hill to extended heights."

A win over Duke on Saturday would be a step in that direction.

Due to a family matter, Boone won't be able to attend the contest between his alma mater and his protege. But he knows he'll be somewhere close to a TV, watching and taking mental notes, readying for the next time Howell calls.

"Being a Duke kid, that whole dynamic is interesting," Boone said. "But at the end of the day, our relationship is our relationship, no matter the situation and no matter what's what. At the end of the day, I'm still a Duke guy, but he's one of my clients and he's one of my guys who has been on my corner for the longest. So, I want to see him be successful."

Players Mentioned

Sam Howell

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