Who is UNC football’s starting QB? That decision comes this fall, coach Mack Brown said

North Carolina football closed its spring schedule Saturday with its annual spring game. There was plenty to take away from UNC’s offseason activities, but for the first time since 2018, the biggest question is in the backfield.

UNC enters the summer without a clear starting quarterback after losing two NFL-caliber quarterbacks in Sam Howell and, most recently, Drake Maye, over the past several seasons.

Howell, an unknown entity when he began his college career at North Carolina, solidified himself as an all-time UNC great early in his career. He holds program records in more than two dozen categories, including the program’s career passing record of 10,283 yards.

Maye was expected to be a top-notch QB for the Heels. He, too, delivered, earning ACC Player of the Year honors alongside national recognition in 2022. A year later, the Tar Heels put up some of the best offensive numbers, nationally and in league play. Maye helped UNC score 34.5 points per game, including 55 touchdowns, and average nearly 300 passing yards per contest.

“The offensive staff just continues to grow,” Tar Heels coach Mack Brown said Monday. “Their goals were to come in this spring and figure out what this team can do. You change quarterbacks, you lose Drake. What do you do? What do you do different?”

What UNC seeks to do is replace back-to-back NFL Draft picks.

Max Johnson and Conner Harrell are the most likely candidates for the starting job, but which might earn the job remains to be seen.

“We’re lucky that we feel like — and this will sound like it’s a press conference statement — both of them can play today. That’s a blessing,” Brown said. “And, we feel like both of them can win today.”

Brown said both competed at a high level through the spring. The staff took the time to learn now the staff is tasked with differentiating the two. That’s not an easy task.

Each player has different strengths, they’ve shown great leadership and work ethic. He and his staff often go “back and forth” on who they think could be the starter. It might be Johnson one day and Harrell struggles a little bit. The next day, Harrell has the hot hand.

Brown noted the duo is throwing to new receivers and tight ends, and Johnson is in a completely different offensive system.

The staff, however, won’t make any final decisions until the fall. Brown said the coaches will evaluate which player is the most consistent, who will be the best leader and who can win.

Carolina’s staff also plans to speak with Johnson and Harrell’s teammates — the people who see the duo regularly — at the end of the summer to get their input. Brown said the Tar Heels did that two years ago, as well, when evaluating Maye and then-sophomore Jacolby Criswell.

Johnson, a graduate transfer from Texas A&M, started with the first team in the spring game on Saturday. Harrell, however, had arguably the more impressive outing against the second-team defense.

The sophomore QB finished with three touchdown passes, including a 68-yard pass to Vari Green 3rd-and-14. He added a 65-yard pass to Nate McCollum and a 16-yarder to Jordan Shipp.

Johnson found Paul Billups II for a 23-yard touchdown, dropping to his left and connecting with the redshirt freshman at the 10-yard line.

The Aggies transfer comes to Carolina with four years of experience, both at LSU and A&M. He completed 474 of 784 passes for 5,852 yards and 47 touchdowns in 30 games. Last season, Johnson appeared in eight games and started five.

Meanwhile, Harrell played five games last fall and started against West Virginia in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He contributed 75 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. In the team’s win against Campbell, he was 4-for-4 for 71 yards and a touchdown, while adding 61 yards and a score on the ground.

Brown said the program is looking to snag another quarterback from the portal after reserve Tad Hudson transfered. Hudson was a four-star recruit and one of the top recruits from North Carolina in the 2022 signing class.

The Tar Heels’ depth chart features true freshman Michael Merdinger in the expected three spot. Brown admits Carolina is in a unique position, though. Can the team get a guy who is willing to be fourth in line? What if there’s a player good enough to be a starter?

Those are conversations UNC’s staff is having; whether it’s fair to Johnson and Harrell to bring someone in when they weren’t here for the spring, the number of reps a new QB could feasibly get in fall camp. They need to decide if they’re looking for a future starter or just a backup in case of injuries.

“You’ve got to have four quarterbacks and most people have five, so we will look for a quarterback even though we feel like these two are in a good position to move forward,” Brown said.

The Tar Heels look to rebound after its disappointing 2023 season. They won their first six, but couldn’t get back to that consistency in the latter half of the season. UNC lost three in a row to end the season, finishing 8-5 overall and 4-4 in ACC play.