Mack Brown isn’t taking any chances with his two quarterbacks.

I love it when Brown says of his two neck-and-neck leaders, sophomore Jacolby Criswell and redshirt freshman Drake Maye, “You’re going to tell us who should start. We’re not going to tell you, you’ll determine that.”

UNC and offensive coordinator Phil Longo are acting like both QBs will play until one beats out the other or, hopefully not, one of them gets injured. Brown says the 6-foot Criswell and 6-5 Maye are very similar in athletic ability and football skills.

But while both are accurate throwing the ball, Criswell’s size has to make him a quicker runner while Maye’s height and arm strength gives him the edge as a deep ball passer. And the Tar Heels need both skill sets to keep from being predictable and not wearing out their offensive linemen like they did a year ago.

When Sam Howell came in as a freshman, his arm and savvy for the game made him the starter despite two other quarterbacks who had been in the program longer. Criswell is in his third year and Maye in his second, but both have had about the same playing time and snaps with the first unit in run-throughs and scrimmages.

Brown and Longo are not holding back in practice or in film study. “We’re not worried about their confidence,” Brown says, “so we’re bringing it all, disguising defenses, blitzing and putting them in game-type positions to see how they handle it.” The coaches say they are fierce competitors but close friends.

With Carolina a heavy favorite over Florida A&M in the opener on August 27, look for both to play equal possessions for the first time they go live against another team. That may tell who starts in two tough road games to follow at App State and at Georgia State, mid-majors who can play with most Power 5 teams and will help the Heels get ready for Notre Dame.

And it won’t be the worst thing if they never separate and Longo decides to play both of them, alternating possessions or even snaps depending on down and distance. If one goes down or plays poorly, the other should be ready to stand up and shine.

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