The first of 15 spring practices for the North Carolina football team began on Tuesday morning.
The practice was open to the media and displayed several adjustments made since the Tar Heels' 30-10 loss to West Virginia in the 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl. As a result, here are a few observations from the practice concerning the upcoming quarterback battle, the impact of new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins and North Carolina’s ground game ahead of the annual spring game on April 20.
It's notebook time.
QB Battle
With the departure of Drake Maye for the NFL draft, the UNC quarterback room has created a two-man race for the starting job between sophomore Conner Harrell and graduate transfer Max Johnson.
Harrell appeared in five games for the Tar Heels' last season before starting in UNC’s bowl game at the end of the year. Johnson played in eight games and started five last season for Texas A&M, finishing with 1,452 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
“[Connor] and Max are going to have a great battle to see who is going to be QB1,” senior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin said. “I’m happy for both of them. I feel like they’re both great quarterbacks and both have great potential.”
During the intra-squad scrimmages, Harrell was the one to receive first-team reps with the offense. He displayed his deep-ball accuracy on one occasion and made plays with his legs like he did during his lone start in UNC’s bowl game. However, much like that game, Harrell’s poor pocket awareness led to a handful of simulated sacks within the scrimmage.
In regards to Johnson, the veteran received praise from his coaches for his footwork and pocket presence. However, the Georgia native had a handful of overthrows and out-of-reach passes that eventually led to an interception by senior defensive back Alijah Huzzie. Despite these troubles, Johnson appeared to make good reads across the field for a quarterback new to the playbook.
