Syracuse football will have tall task trying to contain UNC QB Sam Howell
By Neil Adler
In the Syracuse football 2020 season opener at North Carolina, the Orange will face one of the nation’s best quarterbacks, Sam Howell.
Syracuse football is rolling out a 3-3-5 scheme on defense this year under new defensive coordinator Tony White, and up first for this unit is a huge challenge in attempting to slow down North Carolina star quarterback Sam Howell.
Howell, who put forth a monster 2019 campaign as a freshman, will lead the Tar Heels as they host the Orange in the 2020 opener for both teams, with the contest slated for Chapel Hill, N.C., at noon on Saturday, Sept. 12. The ACC Network will air this conference clash, and no fans are allowed in the stands, UNC officials recently disclosed.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Howell, a term ago, threw for 3,641 yards and 38 touchdowns, against only seven interceptions, per his bio on the North Carolina athletics department Web site.
Entering the 2020 stanza, his sophomore stint, Howell is deemed by pundits as not only one of the premier players in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but he’s also considered one of the top guys in all of college football.
According to a recent media release, Howell is on the pre-season watch lists for national honors such as the Manning Award, the Maxwell Award and the Davey O’Brien Award.
He’s also, from my perspective, a legit 2020 Heisman Trophy contender for a Tar Heels crew that is rated No. 18 in the pre-season AP top-25 poll and forecast to finish in third place within the ACC, says the league’s pre-season media poll.
To give you a sense of just how stellar Howell proved as a freshman, when the team finished 7-6, per UNC, he amounted to a FWAA freshman All-American, the ACC Offensive and Overall Rookie of the Year, a member of the All-ACC third squad, and the Military Bowl MVP.
His 38 touchdowns set the FBS true-freshman record and registered as the most-ever in North Carolina program history. Those 38 TDs also ranked fourth nationally and led the ACC.
Syracuse football will soon go toe to toe with one of the elite quarterbacks nationwide, North Carolina’s Sam Howell.
Prior to joining UNC, Howell attended Sun Valley High School in Monroe, N.C., where he was a consensus four-star prospect and top-four pro-style quarterback across the country in the 2019 cycle, according to the primary recruiting services.
His bio on the 247Sports Web site said that he checked in at No. 93 overall in the 2019 class, per the 247Sports Composite. North Carolina scored a major recruiting win in landing Howell, who held more than 30 scholarship offers, from high-major groups including Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon.
His UNC bio says that Howell wrapped up his high-school tenure with an astounding 13,415 passing yards and 145 touchdowns, while he rushed for 3,621 yards and 60 scores. That’s ridiculously good.
Undeniably, the Syracuse football defense will have its hands full in a week when it squares off versus the Tar Heels and their supremely talented signal-caller.