Gophers might not know North Carolina's starting QB until gameday

The Tar Heels have a three-man QB competition that might not be settled until Aug. 29.

Dec 27, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Conner Harrell (15) throws the ball during the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Aug. 29 season opener between the Minnesota Gophers and North Carolina Tar Heels is fast approaching and while Max Brosmer is the unquestioned starting quarterback in Minnsota, the Tar Heels are still trying to decide which of three quarterbacks will get the nod under center at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The three battling for the job are Max Johnson, Conner Harrell and Jacolby Criswell. It's impossible to say at this point who the frontrunner is, but based on recent comments from offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, the three-man QB battle might actually be a two-man struggle between Johnson and Harrell.

Johnson was 30 career starts in his college career that has taken him to Chapel Hill after previous years at LSU and Texas A&M. He's the son of former Vikings and Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson,

UNC head coach Mack Brown recently said in an ACC Network interview that people will know the starting quarterback "when we break the huddle at the first game."

"We're so lucky. We've got three really good quarterbacks. They haven't separated yet. And that's probably good because they're all being forced to lead. And then we've got to do a great job in coaching of figuring out which one does this better than this, and we've got to make sure that we let them do their task difficulty properly — if we're not letting them run plays that they do best," Brown said.

"And you take Max, Max Johnson is 6-5. He's 230. He's played 1,600 snaps in the SEC. He's thrown 900 passes. But he's had five offensive coordinators and five different offenses in five years. So, we gotta go back and make sure he's confident because there has been a lot of stuff been thrown at him through these last five years. Really smart. Tough."

Lindsey recently told Tar Heels reporters that the QB battle is day to day, noting that Johnson has the edge in experience while Harrell ha a "better grasp" of the offensive system.

“Somebody’s gotta go out there first,” Lindsey said, via the The News & Observer. “Whoever’s out there’s got to play well. They’ve got to move the offense [and] affect the other 10 guys in a positive way. Not everything is always on the quarterback, so to speak, but we need a guy to go out there and make good decisions and not turn the ball over and really make plays for us in the passing game. “I think any time you have a good competition, the competition never really dies."

Whoever starts at quarterback will have one of the nation's best running backs behind them in Omarion Hampton. After years of dominating in the air behind now-NFL quarterbacks Sam Howell and Drake Maye, the 2024 Tar Heels are expected to be a run-first offense.

Minnesota will find out what UNC is all about when they kick off the season Aug. 29.