Mack Brown got his first big recruiting win in his second tenure as Carolina’s head football coach when four-star quarterback Sam Howell flipped his commitment from Florida State to UNC.

A Charlotte native, Howell had been committed to the Seminoles since the summer but his status with Florida State had been in question for the past few weeks when it was announced that FSU offensive coordinator Walt Bell was leaving for UMass. Bell had been Howell’s primary recruiter and his departure allowed Brown’s staff to get back into his recruitment.

Howell took an official visit to Chapel Hill last season and was able to take another official visit earlier this month with Brown’s new staff on campus.

In the end, the uneasy situation surrounding Florida State was too much for the Seminoles to overcome. FSU went 5-7 in Willie Taggart’s first season as head coach and will miss a bowl game this year for the first time since 1981.

This is a major win for Brown on the recruiting trail. Howell is the highest-rated recruit in UNC’s recruiting class and one of the highest ranked players that Carolina has signed in some time.

The four-star quarterback is a player that will contend for immediate playing time at Carolina. Howell has great arm strength and should pair well with Phil Longo’s new air-raid offense in Chapel Hill. Although he is labeled as a pro-style quarterback, Howell has great mobility and can make defenses pay with his legs.

During Brown’s opening press conference, he preached the need to recruit the state of North Carolina first and foremost.

“You’ve got to win at home in recruiting before you go out of state,” Brown said. “Because if the locals won’t come, why would an out-of-state guy that’s really good want to come?”

The approach is simple: build a fence around the state and develop good relationships with local high school coaches.

With Howell’s commitment, the message from Brown becomes that much more stronger. Brown, who has been out of the coaching game for five years, has proved that he still has the talents to make magic on the recruiting trail.

After signing elite talent on the recruiting trail, the results on the field usually aren’t far behind.

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