CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) – The quarterback battle between incoming transfer Max Johnson and rising sophomore Conner Harrell will certainly be a fan focus as the University of North Carolina football program takes the field for its annual spring game this weekend. But head coach Mack Brown said the quarterback situation is just one of many questions left to be answered.
Brown wants the fans to turn out in droves for when the Tar Heels kick off their spring game on Saturday. For those who want to see action on the gridiron, the winningest active head coach in college football expressed that Chapel Hill is the place to be.
“So you got 30 new guys on the roster, you got your quarterback competition, you got all those young receivers and defensive backs that are out there, you got new young linebackers,” Brown said. “And we’re gonna turn it loose and let them go.”
The entire spring has been that way for the Tar Heels. Brown has purposely made practices more physical than years past, as UNC looks to be stronger late in games, as well as when the regular season winds down.
“We feel like we’ve gotten tired some at the end of games, we’ve gotten tired some at the end of the year,” he said. “And we’ve just got to force ourselves to play more players, and we’re working really, really hard to do that. We’ve had a very physical spring because we felt like there’s so many young guys, they’ve got to play game speed this spring – they can’t wait.”
Brown feels that’s a good way to find out which players on his team are ready for the spotlight.
“Who you can trust, who can play at a high level, who’s going to change the game and who’s going to win a game,” he said. “So there’s a lot of excitement for Saturday, but there’s a tremendous amount of pressure on the guys. This isn’t a boring spring game where you can go out there and not work. We are actively looking at who can make us better.”
This group of young players will be set to play in front of a large gathering of Tar Heel fans on Saturday. The spring game is slated to begin at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill at 3 p.m.