North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell announced, as many expected, that he is entering the 2022 NFL draft and will forgo his final year of eligibility.
Howell, who has started the past three seasons for the Tar Heels, made it official with a video posted on his Instagram account on Saturday.
"These past three years and especially past few months have been a whirlwind, but I have a lot of peace about the next chapter of my life," Howell said in a video that lasted 3:30 minutes. "With that being said, I'm excited to announce that I'll be entering the 2022 NFL draft. I'll forever be grateful for my time here at Carolina and for all the people who made it so special. Chapel Hill will always hold a special place in my heart. I don't know exactly what the future holds, but I'm hopeful and I know whatever it may be, it'll be good. God bless."
UNC coach Mack Brown had stated over the past year that he expected Howell to turn pro after this season. Howell is projected by many to be a first-round pick.
Howell's Instagram video was shot in Kenan Stadium at night while he read from a letter in the middle of the field on the interlocking NC logo.
"Dear Carolina, my three years here have been the best of my life for so many reasons," he began.
Howell originally committed to Florida State out of Indian Trail High School, but a chain of events set in motion his pivot to UNC.
FSU coach Willie Taggart's job status was in question — and he did not make it past the 2019 season in Tallahassee. Mack Brown replaced Larry Fedora as the head coach at UNC. Brown hired Dre Bly as defensive backs coach. Bly had a connection to Howell from youth football. Brown hired Phil Longo as offensive coordinator away from Mississippi. Longo had tried recruiting Howell while at Ole Miss and was already familiar with him.
Howell thanked those three coaches by name in his video as well as support staff members Alex Marrs (offensive quality control) and offensive analyst Josh Snow. Here's what Howell said:
— "Coach Brown, thank you for putting your trust in me from day one. The faith you had in me as an 18-year-old kid is not something I take for granted and I'll always be thankful for that."
— "Coach Longo, you've meant so much to me. Coming here to play for you is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I'll always remember the late nights we spent together, the commitment you made to me and to my development show me the type of person you are, how much you cared about me not only as a player, but as a person.
— "Coach Bly, you've been there for me since day one. You're one of the (most) real people I know and I just want to thank you for the way you supported me and coached me all the way from when I was 13-years-old to now."
Howell took his last snaps for the Tar Heels on Thursday in the Heels' 38-21 loss to South Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. He leaves UNC as the team's all-time leader in passing touchdowns, passing yards and total offense. He threw for at least one touchdown in all 37 games he started for the Heels, which was the longest active streak in the nation.
After the bowl loss, Howell was the last UNC player to leave the field, taking in the scene from Bank of America Stadium while the Gamecocks celebrated. He said a silent prayer then exited to the tunnel. Brown said he pulled Howell in front of the team in the locker room postgame. Howell used that time to say farewell, although he still had not revealed his intentions.
"All I did was went around and thanked everybody and just told everybody on the team I loved them," Howell said on Thursday while addressing the media postgame.
The Heels' fortunes at quarterback will now likely rest with Jacolby Criswell, who is entering his third year next season, or Drake Maye, who is entering his second.
