The Tar Heels quarterback race is officially a three-man race. When Jacolby Criswell joined the team from the transfer portal back in April, there was some skepticism that he could be a factor in the ongoing battle, but this week has proven that is not the case.
It started on Monday when Criswell talked to the media for the first time since transferring. He was asked what Mack Brown’s pitch was to him to get him to return and said one simple thing. “To compete,” Criswell said. “I love to compete. Been here for three years. Competed with two great quarterbacks. I’m just here to compete.” He was asked further about competing and if his ultimate goal is to finally start. “Of course. You don’t play this sport just to sit the bench. I hold a lot of weight to myself. I’ve been back and forth with great quarterbacks and I know my right arm is one of the best in the country.”
It’s one thing to hear Criswell say that he is competing for the job, but it was confirmed to us by Phil Steele on the Heel Tough Blog Podcast earlier this week. “Yeah, I do think it's a three-man race headed into the fall,” Steele said. “No doubt about it. And Coach Brown, that's what he told me. I think it's a great situation to be in.”
Since Brown hasn’t spoken to the media since the conclusion of spring camp, this is the first time it has been confirmed that Criswell is officially part of the battle. With that being the case, it’s hard to agree with Steele that this is a great situation to be in. This probably means that the staff was not happy with what they saw from the quarterbacks in the spring and now the reps with the first team will have to be split three ways as they search for an answer. This also heightens the chances that the team will have to play at least two quarterbacks in the opener against Minnesota.
Hopefully, there can be some separation early in fall camp and the majority of it can be spent splitting the reps between two of the three before a decision gets made on a starter about a week before the Thursday night opener. At this point, though, that seems highly unlikely.
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