Charlotte 49ers newly anointed starting QB ready for App State: ‘I want to win’

In a shocking turn of events, Tim Albin and the Charlotte 49ers showed their hand at quarterback just days before the season-opening kickoff against Appalachian State, with North Carolina transfer Conner Harrell emerging victorious from a five-plus-month quarterback battle.

Beating out Duke transfer quarterback Grayson Loftis and NW Mississippi transfer Zach Wilcke for the starting job, Harrell will make his fourth career start on Friday night in the same venue that he made his first — at Bank of America Stadium.

Two seasons ago, Harrell led the Tar Heels into the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in place of Huntersville native Drake Maye, who sat out of the postseason ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Fast-forward 20 months, and Harrell isn’t just filling in. According to Albin, it’s his job to lose.

“We came to the conclusion that it’s Conner’s opportunity to go. It was down to the wire,” Albin said. “We’ll still have competition. In this day in age, it wouldn’t surprise me if we see all three (quarterbacks) at some point throughout the course of the year. Injuries happen.

“The most important element is going to be decision-making. Regardless of who is in the game, we are going to call plays to win the game. The quarterbacks make their money on third down and in the red zone,” Albin continued. “I want the quarterback position to let the guys around them help them. They don’t have to do everything, just execute the offense. If we have that mindset, we’ll be just fine.”

Landing at Charlotte

Appearing in 10 games spanning two seasons in Chapel Hill, Harrell completed 61.4% of his passes for 552 yards, six total touchdowns, and three interceptions. A redshirt junior, Harrell was a three-star prospect coming out of Alabaster, Alabama, where he garnered offers from Michigan, TCU, Tennessee, Tulane, Duke, and Appalachian State, among others, before committing to Mack Brown and the Tar Heels.

And while he doesn’t regret his time in Chapel Hill, Harrell knew what he was looking for in his next head coach — a proven winner in today’s college football landscape. Tim Albin was the perfect fit, Harrell said on the Highway 49 Podcast in May.

“I knew where coach Albin came from, and I knew what he did at Ohio. I knew that he was the most winningest coach in the MAC in the past few years, and he was going to the American,” said Harrell. “How much he won, how cohesive his team was, and how much they played together — and that made a huge difference, especially nowadays.

“I think the biggest thing for me was that I wanted to be able to truly compete for a (starting) spot,” Harrell continued. “Also, it’s Charlotte. It’s a great city. It’s a great place to be, and that was definitely part of the pitch. I didn’t move far, so it’s still sort of like home.”

But it wasn’t Albin or offensive coordinator Todd Fitch who identified Harrell as a good fit, but a former teammate.

Tight end Jake Young, who roomed with Harrell at North Carolina in 2022, landed at Charlotte after two seasons with Western Carolina. When Harrell hit the portal in December of 2024, Young was an advocate to get the 6-foot-2 signal-caller to the Queen city.

“It was actually Jake Young, we lived together at Carolina my freshman year. He was actually the one who texted the coaches about me,” Harrell said.

But Harrell’s skillset and athleticism weren’t lost on Fitch, who’s been impressed with Harrell’s accuracy — a concern after two seasons in the ACC.

“He has good athleticism. He can run. He’s explosive. He can extend plays,” Fitch told The Observer’s Scott Fowler. “And the one question was, ‘Okay, how developed will he be as a passer?’ He’s actually throwing the ball at a little bit higher level than I thought. So that’s been a pleasant surprise.”

Harrell’s confidence

Entering his first collegiate season as the starting quarterback, Harrell saw his confidence skyrocket during the spring session, giving him the ability to focus on the technical side of the position.

“I learned from Drake (Maye) about being consistent. A lot about being a quarterback is being consistent. That’s been somewhat of a problem through college, and I’ve been trying to work on it,” said Harrell. “I left spring feeling really comfortable about my consistency and also my confidence. I played with supreme confidence this spring, and it was almost like a burden lifted off my back. I can focus on the little things more now that the confidence and consistency things are out of the way.”

Harrell’s teammates often bring up two aspects of his game: speed and trash-talk.

And coming from their lone season together in Chapel Hill in 2022, safety and fellow team captain Ja’Qurious Conley has seen Harrell transform into the quarterback and leader he is today.

“As a leader, Conner is very consistent. Just playing against him this camp, it’s been amazing. He’s going to run the ball, he’ll be very accurate, and he’s consistent,” said Conley. “Conner’s going to talk a little bit. He’s very laid back, but he’s going to show a little emotion.”

So, what will Harrell and Charlotte’s offense look like under the Friday night lights?

“Coach Albin has had that (run the ball) mindset, but I think he brought Todd Fitch in because he knows we want to be able to pass the ball to be able to do what we want to do in this conference,” said Harrell. “It’s a good medium because coach Fitch is used to passing the ball, coming from LSU and Ohio State. That’s what he does, that’s in his DNA. But also, you’ve got to run the ball to win championships. I think I play well into that, because I do both really well. It will be hard for defenses to stop.”

Albin, Fitch, and Harrell all know how important this season-opening kickoff is against the Mountaineers, who are making the two-hour trek down the mountain from Boone.

But Harrell is keeping it simple.

“I’m going to control what I can control. Regardless of the outcome, I’ll be at peace knowing I did everything I could,” said Harrell. “I’m a competitor — I want to win.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.