As the 2021 college football season draws closer, UNC junior quarterback Sam Howell was named a preseason First Team All-American on Thursday by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Along with the return of Hall-of-Fame head coach Mack Brown for a second tenure in Chapel Hill prior to the 2019 season, Howell has played a starring role in the transformation of the Tar Heel program.

The native of Indian Trail, North Carolina flipped his commitment from Florida State to UNC following Brown’s arrival and has gone on to become arguably the top quarterback in the country heading into the 2021 campaign.

Last season saw Howell throw for 3,586 yards and 30 touchdowns while leading UNC to an appearance in the Orange Bowl, the program’s first major bowl appearance since 1950. He was a Second Team All-ACC selection due to the presence of Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence — the No. 1 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft — on the First Team, and was a finalist for the Manning Award.

As a true freshman in 2019, Howell set a new UNC single-season record with 38 touchdown passes and threw for 3,641 yards across the Tar Heels’ 13 games.

Howell currently sits fifth on the school’s all-time passing yardage list at 7,227 and is tied with Darian Durant for the all-time touchdown mark at 68. Those 68 touchdown passes are the most through a sophomore season in ACC history.

He needs just 2,150 yards in 2021 to pass yardage leader T.J. Yates (9,377) on the school’s all-time list.

 

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Teases Kenan Stadium Enhancements as Venue Prepares to Celebrate 100 Years
The 2026 UNC football season will be the 100th in which the Tar Heels have called Kenan Stadium home, and the program is prepared to celebrate the historic venue with several upgrades and enhancements this fall. Two new video boards will be installed above each end zone, with both measuring 31.5 feet high by 106.5 […]
Chansky's Notebook: Draft Dodgers?
Bill Belichick and Michael Malone have found themselves in the same undesirable dilemma: neither has any draft picks.
'I Can Do This For a Long Time': Bobby Petrino Excited for New Challenge With UNC Football
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: UNC’s new offensive coordinator is known for more than just being a football coach. Ask Atlanta Falcons fans about Bobby Petrino’s antics. Or the folks in Louisville. Or Arkansas. The paper trail that follows Petrino everywhere he goes is long, and it bends toward absurdity. Egregiously […]
Chansky's Notebook: Dead Man Walking?
With Hubert Davis dismissed, no seat will be hotter in Chapel Hill than UNC head football coach Bill Belichick’s this fall.
Chansky's Notebook: 'We Have Our Team Now'
Bill Belichick spoke to the media at the Kenan Football Center Tuesday as UNC opened its spring practice season.
Chansky's Notebook: Mack is Back (Again)
Mack Brown's midcourt ceremony at the Smith Center Monday night was a satisfying end to what had been an awkward UNC football saga.
Here's a List of Which Transfers Have Committed to UNC Football in 2026
The college football transfer portal opened Friday, Jan. 2 and closed Friday, Jan. 16. Here’s a list of players who have committed to head coach Bill Belichick and UNC out of the portal so far, with their classes for the 2026 season: QB Billy Edwards, Jr. (Most recent school: Wisconsin, redshirt senior) Ranked 3rd in […]
Tributes Pour In After James Spurling, Director of Kenan Stadium, Dies at 68
James Spurling, who served as the Director of Kenan Stadium and the Kenan Football Center in the heart of the UNC campus since 2006 and had been a Chapel Hill staple for many years prior, died Thursday. He was 68 years old. Tributes flooded in from across the Chapel Hill and UNC sports communities following […]
Financial Report Shows UNC Athletics Operated at $15 Million Deficit in 2024-25 Year
The newest financial report from the UNC athletic department to the NCAA shows the department operated at a deficit of more than $15 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year. The department reported revenues of $172,951,034 and reported expenses of $187,967,260. The UNC athletic department had operated at a profit in each of the past three […]
'Hard to Imagine': Newmark, Lombardi, Others Share Disbelief at Bill Belichick Hall of Fame Vote
UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi and athletic-director-in-waiting Steve Newmark were among many sports figures to share their disappointment and surprise at reports that head coach Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot. An ESPN report published Tuesday night indicated Belichick, currently between his first and […]
›