UNC quarterback Sam Howell earned another spot on a preseason watch list for a prestigious college football award this weekend.

The star junior landed on the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year Preseason Watch List on Friday, according to the foundation. The award is given to the top player in a college football season, as decided by the organization named after 19th century player and coach Walter Camp, who is known as the “Father of American Football.”

Howell enters his third season with the Tar Heel football program as one of the top quarterbacks in the country returning to the college sport. During his sophomore year, the Indian Trail, N.C., native reached 68 career passing touchdowns, a mark that ties him for the most in UNC history coming into 2021. That benchmark is also the most ever by an ACC quarterback. Howell will look to continue building on another strong offensive year, after throwing 30 touchdowns in 2020 and the fourth-most passing yards in the country.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation already honored Howell with another preseason award. In June, the organization tapped the quarterback as a preseason first-team All-American. Howell also earned spots on the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award in July. ACC media members voted the quarterback as their preseason conference Player of the Year, as well as a member of the preseason All-ACC first team.

The 2021 Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list will be narrowed down to ten semi-finalists by mid-November before the winner is announced live on ESPN on Thursday, December 9.

The UNC football program is set to begin fall practices this week, while its season opener is Friday, September 3 at Virginia Tech.


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