UNC releases its depth chart; true freshman Sam Howell to start against South Carolina
North Carolina freshman quarterback Sam Howell will officially start in its season-opener against South Carolina on Aug. 31.
The school released its depth chart Monday morning and listed Howell as the starter ahead of redshirt freshman Jace Ruder, who was also competing for the starting role.
UNC coach Mack Brown confirmed in a Monday press conference that Howell was the starter. Ruder will be the No. 2 quarterback and still could be a factor in the offense.
Redshirt freshman Cade Fortin, who entered the transfer portal last week, was not on the depth chart. Brown said Fortin wants to try to compete for a starting role at another school.
“If you want to leave, you should be able to leave, and Cade did that obviously,” Brown said.
Last week, Brown announced that Howell had emerged as the leader of the three quarterbacks for its starting role and would begin taking the majority of the practice snaps. For weeks, prior to the announcement, the three quarterbacks were dead even in the race. Brown said Howell had been just a little more consistent than the others.
Brown said since announcement, Howell has improved, which is why the staff made the decision to announce it last week.
“He needed to have felt that for two weeks that he was the guy,” Brown said.
Howell, who is 6-1, 225 pounds, played for Sun Valley High School in Monroe. He was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and enrolled at UNC in January.
At Sun Valley, he set the state record for total yards with 17,036. He ranks second all-time in state history in career passing yards. In 2018, he was named North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
“That’s what I came here to do,” Howell said earlier this month. “To be the starting quarterback.”
Howell will become the first true freshman to start a season-opener at UNC.
Brown said freshmen walk-on Vincent Amendola will serve as the third-string quarterback. Amendola, who is 6-2, 215 pounds, was a three-time all-conference selection at Leesville Road.
Why Chazz Surratt will start at linebacker
The depth chart also lists Chazz Surratt as one of the starters at inside linebacker over senior Dominique Ross.
Ross was one of a number of players suspended by the ACC at the end of last season for his involvement in a fight at the end of the UNC’s game against N.C. State on Nov. 24. He will have to sit out the first half. Otherwise, he would have been the starter, UNC defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said Monday.
UNC senior cornerback Patrice Rene was also suspended for one half, although the coaching staff has not decided which half.
Surratt played quarterback his first two seasons at UNC, but converted to linebacker in the spring.
He appeared in nine games and made seven starts as quarterback during his redshirt freshman season. He appeared in one game in 2018 before having season-ending surgery on his right wrist.
Bateman said Surratt has improved since the spring.
“It’s still going to be a learning curve, but he’s a really, really special athlete,” Bateman said. “I feel really confident he’s going to be a good player. That’s not a concern of mine.”
UNC’s depth chart
Offense
Left Tackle
67 - Charlie Heck (6-8, 315, Sr.)
75 - Joshua Ezeudu (6-4, 325, Fr.*)
Left Guard
63 - Ed Montilus (6-3, 315, Fr.)
56 - Billy Ross (6-5, 315, So.)
Center
58 - Nick Polino (6-3, 305, Sr.)
68 - Brian Anderson (6-2, 302, So.)
Right Guard
63 - Marcus McKethan (6-7, 332, So.)
76 - William Barnes (6-4, 318, Fr.*)
71 - Triston Miller (6-6, 289, Fr.)
Right Tackle
74 - Jordan Tucker (6-7, 335, So.)
72 - Asim Richards (6-5, 285, Fr.)
Tight End
86 - Carl Tucker (6-2, 248, Sr.)
80 - Jake Bargas (6-2, 250, Sr.)
84 - Garrett Walston (6-4, 245, Jr.)
Quarterback
7 - Sam Howell (6-1, 225, Fr.)
10 - Jace Ruder (6-3, 225, Fr.*)
Running Back
25 - Javonte Williams (5-10, 215, So.)
or 8 - Michael Carter (5-10, 200, Jr.)
24 - Antonio Williams (5-11, 215, Sr.)
Wide Receiver
2 - Dyami Brown (6-1, 195, So.)
14 - Emery Simmons (6-0, 190, Fr.)
11 - Roscoe Johnson (6-1, 200, Jr.)
Wide Receiver
5 - Dazz Newsome (5-11, 190, Jr.)
4 - Rontavius Groves (5-11, 195, Jr.)
Wide Receiver
3 - Antoine Green (6-2, 210, So.)
1 - Khafre Brown (6-0, 180, Fr.)
or 15 - Beau Corrales (6-4, 210, Jr.)
Defense
End
51 - Raymond Vohasek (6-3, 280, So.)
Or 56 - Tomari Fox (6-3, 278, Jr.)
Nose
92 - Aaron Crawford (6-2, 290, Sr.)
52 - Jahlil Taylor (6-0, 300, Fr.*)
Tackle
55 - Jason Strowbridge (6-5, 285, Sr.)
90 - Xach Gill (6-5, 290, So.)
Outside Linebacker
12 - Tomon Fox (6-3, 260, Jr.)
14 - Jake Lawler (6-4, 245, So.)
Outside Linebacker
33 - Allen Cater (6-4, 260, Sr.)
or 42 - Tyrone Hopper (6-4, 255, Jr.)
Inside Linebacker
44 - Jeremiah Gemmel (6-1, 228, So.)
30 - Matthew Flint (6-1, 235, Fr.)
Inside Linebacker
21 - Chazz Surratt (6-3, 230, Jr.)
3 - Dominique Ross (6-4, 228, Sr.)
7 - Jonathan Smith (6-0, 228, Sr.)
Cornerback
5 - Patrice Rene (6-2, 208, Sr.)
10 - Greg Ross (6-0, 188, Jr.)
Free Safety
1 - Myles Dorn (6-2, 205, Sr.)
13 - Don Chapman (5-11, 185, Fr.)
Strong Safety
11 - Myles Wolfolk (5-11, 205, Jr.)
16 - D.J. Ford (6-3, 210, Jr.) Cornerback
4 - Trey Morrison (5-10, 190, So.)
29 - Storm Duck (6-1, 200, Fr.)
or 20 - Obi Egbuna (5-11, 171, Fr.)
Nickelback
16 - D.J. Ford (6-3, 210, Jr.)
or 4 - Trey Morrison (5-10, 190, So.)
or 15 - DeAndre Hollins (6-1, 210, Fr.*)
* redshirt freshman
UNC vs. South Carolina
When: 3:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Watch: ESPN
This story was originally published August 26, 2019 at 9:29 AM with the headline "UNC releases its depth chart; true freshman Sam Howell to start against South Carolina."
