The North Carolina football team might have found a replacement for departed quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
LSU graduate transfer Brandon Harris committed to UNC on Sunday afternoon. In an announcement on Facebook, Harris expressed his excitement about the opportunity at North Carolina.
"It has been an important time for me, looking for a great situation and another opportunity to grow as a young man and as a student as well as a football player," Harris said. "The opportunity to accomplish that is very important to me. After my (official) visit this weekend to the University of North Carolina, I'm going to get that opportunity. With that being said, I'm fully committed to UNC this upcoming year and I look forward to the opportunity to play for coach Fedora and UNC."
The news of Harris' commitment is an encouraging sign for the 2017 Tar Heel football team. Harris should have an opportunity to compete for the starting job right away, as last year's starter, Trubisky, left a year early for the NFL Draft. Trubisky's departure left the program in a tough position, but Harris' arrival helps calm worries about what the quarterback position will look like next season.
Harris played three seasons at LSU. As a first-year in 2014, he played in nine games and threw for 452 yards and six touchdowns. In 2015, Harris starred for the Tigers, throwing for 2,165 yards and 13 touchdowns while starting all 12 games.
Iin 2016, Harris played in four games and started just two before being benched. He ended up throwing for 139 yards and one touchdown in total during his junior season.
Harris has a lot of potential as a dual-threat quarterback. He's athletic and an a capable runner. In his career at LSU, Harris totaled seven rushing touchdowns and 370 yards on the ground. That said, he still has a lot of room for improvement in the passing game. In his only year starting for LSU, Harris completed just 53.8 percent of his passes.
Harris was a four-star recruit out of Bossier City, La., in the Class of 2014. He committed to LSU over a number of other high-caliber schools like Auburn, Alabama and Arizona State.
