GoHeels Exclusive: Mack Brown Notebook

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

A day removed from North Carolina's second intrasquad scrimmage of training camp, Mack Brown announced Sunday that freshman quarterback Sam Howell will start taking snaps with the Blue Team, UNC's terminology for first team.

Speaking with reporters after the Tar Heels' 15th training camp practice, Brown said Phil Longo informed Howell, Cade Fortin and Jace Ruder of the decision on Sunday morning. Brown and his staff made the determination Saturday evening.

"The difference right now is Sam has just been more consistent than the other two," Brown said. "Jace has had some up-and-down injuries and Cade has had a little bit of a sore arm, too, and Sam hasn't been hurt. So, we've got the quarterback situation, at least for now, where we know who is going to be working with each group."

The No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2019 according to 247Sports, Howell became the headliner of Brown's first recruiting class back in Chapel Hill when he announced his decision to change his commitment from another ACC school to Carolina last December. He then enrolled in January and went through a full spring and offseason with the Tar Heels.

Fortin and Ruder, both redshirt freshmen, will split reps evenly with the White Team, UNC's terminology for second team.

Brown had acknowledged in recent weeks that it was difficult for any of the quarterbacks to assume a leadership role as they split reps equally. On Sunday, he said the hope is Howell will take more control of the offense in the wake of the quarterback decision, one the entire staff weighed in on.

"We've got some very experienced analysts and quality control guys, and they're watching every play," Brown said. "So, we have pretty good evaluation of everybody on our team every day. We spend an hour and a half in a staff meeting every day and a lot of that is talking about who are the best players, who are the toughest players, who are the most passionate players for football and how many plays can each one play."

Brown didn't go as far as naming Howell the starter for the season opener against South Carolina on Aug. 31, saying the freshman will have to continue performing well. He also added that all three quarterbacks could play this season.

"The guys are in a tough spot because all three of them are good enough and all three of them are working hard enough. …" Brown said. "We played four quarterbacks last year here. Obviously, we need all three of them."

Brown told his team the exact same thing when he informed them of the staff's decision after Sunday's practice. He then instructed all three quarterbacks to break down the huddle. Before they could, one player started yelling "three-headed monster" in reference to the talented trio.

A few positives

When asked if any of the concerns he had entering camp have been alleviated, Brown said Trey Morrison's move to corner "has been a real plus." Brown also seems pleased with the depth along the defensive line, perhaps the biggest concern entering camp.

"We feel like some of the young guys can give us some depth in the defensive line, that they're going to help us," he said. "So we're trying to figure out now, when (Jason) Strowbridge and (Aaron) Crawford come out, (Tomon) Fox comes out, who can step in there and how many plays can they play."

Brown was also rather positive about the special teams unit.

"Ben Kiernan has done a really good job punting for us," Brown said. "So, that's been a plus. We didn't know before we started. Noah Ruggles has been pretty good in field goals – not 100 percent, which you need to be in that game. If you miss one, it's awful because it's usually for the game. We've worked really hard in that area. He's doing a good job."

A couple of concerns

Despite those developments, Brown said he's still concerned with the situation at right guard and center. Nick Polino has appeared to emerge as the starter at the latter after spending all of Saturday's scrimmage at the position. But the right guard spot seems up for grabs.

"As far as right guard, the last three or four days we've moved Marcus McKethan in there and he's playing really well," Brown said. "He's still young, still inexperienced, still got some work to do. He's about 6-foot-7 or 8. He's real tall. He and Jordan Tucker and Charlie Heck have to constantly work on playing below pads."

Brown also said the Tar Heels are still "really, really thin" at linebacker.

Looking for leadership on offense

Although Michael Carter and Antonio Williams are quite vocal, Brown said he's still searching for more leadership on offense. The coaching staff hopes Howell will start to assert himself more now that he's taking snaps with the Blue Team. But even then, more veterans need to step up.

"The offensive line is really quiet," Brown said. "You can hear a pin drop in the meetings. Charlie Heck, as good a player as he is, he's not a talker. Polino is not a talker. They're the two oldest guys, and the other guys are young guys trying to learn what to do. We've got two senior tight ends (in Carl Tucker and Jake Bargas) and we need them to step up. They're not talkers – they're quiet – but they need take a more active role. Your receivers have been all over the place with some pulls and some out and some in, so none of them have been out there enough to consistently step up. …

"There are five seniors or so on defense who will step up, and you've got (Myles) Wolfolk who has played before and will step up. So, we've got some ground to make up on offense with our leadership."

'A sad day'

Brown spent the first 2 1/2 minutes of his press conference talking about former NFL and Texas Longhorns running back Cedric Benson, who reportedly died late Saturday night in a motorcycle accident. Benson played for Brown at Texas from 2001-04.

Brown called Benson "one of our favorites, mine and Sally's" and one of the toughest players he's coached, if not the toughest.

"Sally and I, along with a lot of Longhorns, are just crushed," Brown said. "It's a sad day for a lot of people because we're really going to miss him."

Creating excitement

UNC's 16th and final practice of training camp, which is scheduled for 8-10 p.m. Monday at Kenan Stadium, will be open to fans and students. Brown discussed his decision to welcome the public.

"I want us to continue to create excitement," he said. "I want the players to feel the excitement I feel traveling around the state. They're tired, so it's a pickup more than anything else. We've got 4,000 students who are going up to light the Bell Tower and they're going to come down at the end of practice and cheer the guys on. I just want the guys and the students to have a connection and the fans and all to come out."

More information about Monday's practice can be found here.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jake Bargas

Michael Carter

Charlie Heck

Marcus McKethan

Trey Morrison

Nick Polino

Jace Ruder

Noah Ruggles

Carl Tucker

Jordan Tucker

Antonio Williams

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