While North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell is participating in the team’s Senior Day recognition Saturday before taking on Wofford, he said he has not made a decision yet about his future.
Howell has a year of eligibility remaining and said he will graduate in December.
“I’m not ready to say I’m declaring for the (NFL) draft or ready to say, I’m coming back or anything like that,” Howell said on a video conference Tuesday. “It’s just something where I’m academically senior, so I’m graduating. It could be my last home game, it could not. I still have a lot of decisions to be made, a lot of things I got to pray about. So I’m not making a decision yet.”
Howell’s statement contradicted coach Mack Brown’s declaration from his weekly meeting with the media on Monday. Brown said he talked with players during the Tar Heels’ open date about whether they would be back next year and did it again last week.
“I don’t want to tell you that they’re they’re leaving and then they say, ‘Coach, I’ve been thinking about it, I’m not going to,’ and that could happen,” Brown said on Monday. “But we tried to make sure that they were 100% on these decisions before I gave it to you in the public.”
Brown said he hadn’t thought Howell would return for his fourth year because his NFL draft stock is so high.
“I have never had one thought about him coming back, and he’s going to be a first-round draft choice, so I think he should leave,” Brown said. “Our job is to do what’s best for these young people. And if he is ready to leave, and he’s ready to make a bunch of money, then we think he should leave. We’d love to have him come back for another year, that’d be great.”
Howell’s status for the Tar Heels’ home finale against Wofford is still questionable. He suffered an upper-body injury on Thursday during UNC’s 30-23 overtime loss at Pitt.
Howell said he’s progressing and “really wants to get out there as soon as possible with my team.” He will be a game-time decision.
If Howell doesn’t play, he said the team is fully behind backups Jacolby Criswell and Drake Maye. Brown hasn’t declared a starter between the two and indicated on Monday that they both will play.
“We have a ton of confidence in those two guys,” Howell said. “So, you know, if I can’t play on Saturday, then we will be in great hands with those two kids. And they just worked so hard, and they prepare like professionals.”
Howell has started every game since his freshman year and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 35 consecutive games. Regardless of if he ever plays again for Carolina, he’ll leave as the program’s all-time career passing leader and leader in total offense.
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