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Mitch Trubisky named North Carolina's starting QB

(Bernard Thomas/The Herald-Sun via AP)
(Bernard Thomas/The Herald-Sun via AP)

North Carolina is going with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback.

Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora announced Friday morning that Trubisky, a junior, will start under center when UNC opens its season against Georgia on Sept. 3.

"I thought Mitch did a good job this spring and didn't just assume he was going to be the starter. He worked extremely hard and earned it," Fedora said in a release. "We always want to have competition at every position. Mitch is the QB with the most experience returning, but he worked hard this spring, competed every day and deserves to be the starter."

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Trubisky replaces Marquise Williams, who graduated in December. Williams became UNC’s starter midway through the 2013 season and finished his career with 7,965 yards and 61 touchdowns through the air along with 2,458 yards and 35 scores on the ground.

Trubisky played very well last year, but mostly in mop-up duty. He completed 40-of-47 passes for 555 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also threw for 459 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions as a redshirt freshman in 2014.

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Friday’s news was a widely expected result, especially since only one other quarterback on the roster – sophomore Caleb Henderson – has ever thrown a pass in a regular season game. Now it’s official, and Trubisky will be expected to carry the torch for an offense that put up nearly 500 yards per game on offense and won 11 games.

For more North Carolina news, visit TarHeelIllustrated.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!