Sam Howell

Sam Howell had a legendary high school career at Monroe (N.C.) Sun Valley. He set the state record for total yards with 17,036. As a senior he won Gatorade State Player of the Year, USA Today Player of the Year, AP State Player of the Year and Charlotte Observer State Player of the Year. UNC was Howell’s dream school but Larry Fedora and his staff’s hesitation to offer him pushed him away to Florida State. However, when Mack Brown was hired and talked to Howell, the QB changed his mind. Howell, a consensus four-star recruit, flipped from Florida State to UNC on early signing day. Howell burst onto the college scene as a true freshman when he became the first true freshman to start an opener for UNC. He started all 13 games for the Tar Heels, winning ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year and ACC Overall Rookie of the year. He set the FBS true freshman record for touchdown passes with 38. He continued his success as a sophomore, finishing as All-ACC second team and a Manning Award finalist. He is the son of Amy and Duke Howell.