While it remains to be seen how things eventually translate into wins and losses on the field, new UNC head football coach Mack Brown is doing everything he can to make you pay attention.
Shortly after four-star quarterback Sam Howell (Sun Valley High School, Monroe, NC) announced on Wednesday that he was flipping his commitment to Florida State in order to sign with the Tar Heels, Brown stole the spotlight with a highly unconventional–and highly entertaining–press conference as part of National Signing Day.
Not only did he forego the use of a podium in order to walk around and create a more intimate atmosphere, Brown did his best college professor impersonation and spent nearly 20 minutes breaking down film of all 18 of the incoming recruits.
Once that was over, he finally began taking questions with each answer seemingly designed to shine a ray of hope onto the program.
Sam Howell headlines UNC football’s incoming recruiting class. (Photo via Tallahassee.com)
Howell’s commitment did plenty of that before Brown came out to teach class, giving UNC the nation’s seventh-ranked quarterback according to ESPN’s recruiting rankings. On film, Howell’s incredible arm strength and ability to create plays out of nothing is evident.
That kind of hype–with a little highlight tape to show where it comes from–led to Brown making a bold statement about his prized recruit.
“I think he’s got some Baker Mayfield in him,” Brown told reporters, in reference to the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 NFL Draft pick from Oklahoma. “Somebody said Brett Favre the other day. Most of the modern day kids don’t even know who Brett is right now, so it’d take a while.
“For me, it’s more Baker Mayfield,” the coach added. “He’s got a magnetism about him. He really is a great leader. Kids are drawn to him. And he’s got the special arm.”
Considering the massive struggles the Tar Heels have had at the quarterback position over the last two seasons, this kind of prospect paired with Brown’s hype-man abilities could be exactly what’s needed to get the program back on track.
One of the key factors in landing Howell, however, was also the hiring of offensive coordinator Phil Longo–who spent the last two years at Ole Miss in charge of explosive offenses that ranked in the top 20 nationally.
Longo had been attempting to lure Howell to Ole Miss previously, while Howell had also been waiting to see who Brown would hire to coach quarterbacks and run the offense.
When asked what fans can expect to see from UNC on offense with Longo–and potentially Howell–running the show, Brown stuck to form and did not shy away from making yet another bold claim.
“We’re gonna be very similar to Oklahoma on offense,” he said. “I told Coach Longo I want to score 50 points and have two Heisman Trophy quarterbacks back-to-back.
New UNC offensive coordinator Phil Longo has a lot expected of him by head coach Mack Brown. (Photo via Ole Miss Athletics)
“I said it about three times, he said, ‘I got it, I heard you the first time,'” Brown continued, before noting that Longo’s system will combine a power running game with a wide open passing attack.
Another reason Howell’s commitment is so important to UNC’s future is because of what he represents in terms of Brown’s overall recruting philosophy–trying to get the best in-state players to stay at home.
“It sends a message to other players in the state of North Carolina that we’re gonna go after the best players in the state,” Brown said. “And maybe the best player in the state chose us over a lot of other people.
“He chose to come here at a time where we still have some things to prove,” he went on. “I think it’s a tremendous message for other guys in this state.”
Despite taking the last five years off from coaching and having less than a month to put the finishing touches on this recruiting class, the 67-year-old Brown is already showing he’s still got the magic touch in both the media room and the living room.
He doesn’t entertain the idea of using rebuilding as an excuse, and says the goal is to win and to win now.
As a result, there’s a palpable buzz around the Tar Heel football program for the first time in a long time.
Brown is selling hope. And, for now, more and more people seem to be buying.
For a full list of UNC’s Class of 2019 signees, click here.
Cover photo via Todd Melet
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