Who is UNC’s starting quarterback? OC Chip Lindsey says battle is still wide open

Chip Lindsey, unsurprisingly, declined to name a starting quarterback Saturday.

The UNC offensive coordinator addressed the media at the Bill Koman Indoor Practice Facility and discussed the depth of the offensive line, touched on the makeup of the wideout room and trumpeted Omarion Hampton.

North Carolina will likely be a run-first offense. Lindsey all but confirmed that much. The Tar Heels have the one-man arsenal needed in Hampton, whom Lindsey and plenty of players haven’t hesitated to crown as the nation’s top running back.

“I like the way he approaches every day,” Lindsey said. “No drama.”

Drama? Save that for the three-way quarterback battle. It’s a spectacle that, with fewer than three weeks until UNC’s season opener at Minnesota on Aug. 29, remains uncertain. The competition is fierce, and the stakes are midrange at best.

At the 2024 ACC Kickoff, UNC brought two of its three quarterback contenders, Max Johnson and Conner Harrell, to the media event. Jacolby Criswell, who transferred back to UNC in the spring, stayed behind.

“It is what it is,” Harrell said then of the QB battle, “and it’s going to benefit our team.”

‘It’s day to day’

Two weeks removed, and Lindsey said the competition is still wide open, with all three quarterbacks rotating through first-team reps based on performance. Head coach Mack Brown and the coaching staff are putting each signal-caller through rigorous game-like situations in practice to evaluate their decision making, ball protection and overall play.

“All three are eager learners,” Lindsey said. “They study and if we can limit some of the [errors] ... I think all three have the ability for sure.”

So, Chip, any separation?

“It’s day to day,” Lindsey said. “There’s some days one will have better than the other.”

Lindsey went on to explain that Johnson has more general experience, while Harrell has a better grasp of UNC’s system. Criswell, he said, has quickly adapted.

Harrell has become a “much more accurate thrower,” said Lindsey, citing the work the sophomore has done to consistently put himself in prime positions to fire.

“He can really throw it,” Lindsey said, “but sometimes his body was out of whack.”

Lindsey, alongside longtime quarterback coach Clyde Christensen, have pushed Harrell to stay balanced and on his back foot. Harrell has honed in on these areas in the offseason and, according to Lindsey, his work has already paid off.

Johnson, the SEC transfer, focused on his pocket presence and where his drop needs to be over the summer. At 6-foot-5, Johnson tended to “get a little deep.”

“It’s good to see him understanding, ‘Hey, in this protection, this is where the O-line thinks you’re gonna be,’” Lindsey said, later adding, “I think his footwork has really improved and that’s something we asked him to do out of spring.”

Lindsey had less to say about Criswell, who transferred back to Chapel Hill after the 2024 spring season.

‘The competition never really dies’

The ongoing battle mirrors past UNC quarterback competitions, with the eventual starter following in the footsteps of Drake Maye and Sam Howell. Unless Brown stuns everyone Sunday at his news conference, the ultimate decision will come in late August, just before the season opener.

And might the competition extend past the Minnesota game? Well, Lindsey said, “you never say never.”

“Somebody’s gotta go out there first,” Lindsey said. “Whoever’s out there’s got to play well. They’ve got to move the offense [and] affect the other 10 guys in a positive way. Not everything is always on the quarterback, so to speak, but we need a guy to go out there and make good decisions and not turn the ball over and really make plays for us in the passing game.

“I think any time you have a good competition, the competition never really dies.”