Sam Howell knows what ‘experts’ think about UNC this year -- but he doesn’t care

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, his feet kicked up on a chair in cornerbacks coach Dre Bly’s office, sat back as Bly rolled off why the Tar Heels’ secondary was taking it to the receivers every day in practice. Bly’s playing days may be done, but he still plays corner. His ability and willingness to engage in trash talk is always just a parsing of the lips away.

Head coach Mack Brown walked in during the exchange and wasn’t surprised at all by Howell’s reaction. Bly spent years getting into the heads of quarterbacks and receivers. He couldn’t rattle Howell.

“Sam just sits there with a little grin on his face, he rarely even answers,” Brown told reporters on a video call Wednesday. “So what you see out of Sam in these interviews is what we see every day at practice.”

What they see is a player who walked into his freshman season last year with the composure of an upperclassman and delivered a record-breaking season. There’s a reason why ESPN rated Howell No. 22 on its Top 50 players in college football for 2020. The potential to have an even better sophomore year is part of the reason why the anticipation of the season is arguably the greatest it has been this century in Chapel Hill.

The Heels enter the season ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll. They were one of only two six-loss teams (No. 23 Iowa State) from last season to be ranked. Howell is a major reason why.

He’s on all the preseason watch lists for quarterback including the Davey O’Brien Award — given strictly to quarterbacks — and the Maxwell Award, which honors the best all-around player. Some observers list Howell only behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields as the third best quarterback in the nation. With high praise comes high expectations, but Howell doesn’t invest in the hype.

“To be honest with you, I really don’t care about what anyone else says,” Howell said on a video call with reporters. “I know what type of player I can be if I keep doing what I’m supposed to do so no one’s expectations are higher than my own.”

How watching film helps UNC’s Sam Howell

North Carolina faces Syracuse at noon on Saturday in Kenan Stadium. The Orange is a bit of an unknown on defense, as they introduce a new defensive coordinator and a new scheme. Their secondary boasts Andre Cisco, who is the active leader in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 12 interceptions. The Heels are highly-confident in their signal caller to be ready for anything the Orange might bring their way.

Howell said he’s watched video clips not only of Syracuse to get a feel for their personnel, but Arizona State’s defense to get a feel for what defensive coordinator Tony White brought with him to upstate New York. Junior receiver Dyami Brown said Howell’s preparation is part of why he’ll be better this season.

“The big difference from last year to this year is how (Howell) handles the offense,” Brown said on a video conference. “Last year, he kind of had some help reading the defense. But this year he took it to another level. He put the extra hours in watching film.”

It’s hard to imagine Howell can go higher than leading the ACC with 38 touchdown passes last season, which also was a NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision record for a true freshman. (He beat the old record of 30 set by Lawrence in 2018.) Howell’s 3,641 passing yards set an ACC record for a true freshman. But none of his teammates will be surprised if he surpasses those stats from last season.

“He is a true baller, like he can throw the ball, run the ball and he just knows what to do,” said right tackle Jordan Tucker in a video interview. “He knows how to lead the o-line, talk to the backs, get the receivers going. And I think he’s really just carried the role as a leader in a very amazing way.”

Sam Howell’s arm talent as a freshman

Howell admittedly didn’t know what to expect going into last season. But having that experience starting every game for the Tar Heels has shaped his approach to this season. Mack Brown called him one of the hardest workers on the team who leads by example.

“I’ve never been around anybody that studies football more than he does at such a young age,” Brown said. “After being around him, you wouldn’t feel how successful he’s been because he never talks about himself.”

That arm talent talks a lot for him. His touchdown passes from last season ranked third all-time in the conference behind only Deshaun Watson, who threw 41 for Clemson in 2016, and Jameis Winston, who threw 40 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2013.

Both Watson and Winston are calling signals in the NFL now. But impressive as his numbers are by comparison to future pros, Howell’s not looking at those numbers either. His only goal is to reach his potential and he is the only one who gets to define what that is.

“I set myself to a higher standard and I just go by that every single day,” Howell said. “No matter if people are saying good things about me or bad things about me. I stick to my own standard, my own expectations.”

This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Sam Howell knows what ‘experts’ think about UNC this year -- but he doesn’t care."