Mack Brown says he turned away potential quarterback transfers this offseason

North Carolina is in the midst of having to replace quarterback Sam Howell, who is now in the NFL after setting numerous passing records in Chapel Hill over the course of his career.

The Tar Heels are set to choose between Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell — 2 talented passers who also have mobility and a distinct lack of experience.

Despite that lack of game time, UNC coach Mack Brown is very confident in his 2 freshmen quarterbacks. He told the ACC Network’s Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain that he turned away potential transfer portal additions at QB this offseason.

“The good thing is, we’ve got 2 quarterbacks that anybody in the country would love to have,” Brown said on Monday’s episode of the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast

. “When some transfer portal guys called this spring, we said, ‘no, we’ve got a full room.'”

That level of confidence from Brown has to be exciting for Tar H

eels fans who are skeptical about replacing perhaps the best quarterback in school history. Howell is UNC’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Maye is a redshirt freshman from Charlotte. He completed 7-of-10 passes for 89 yards and 1 touchdown last season. He also rushed for 62 yards on 6 attempts.

Criswell is also a redshirt freshman, but is entering his third season in Chapel Hill. He has completed 16-of-25 passes for 195 yards and 1 touchdown in his career. He also has 94 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown over the past 2 seasons.

UNC opens the 2022 campaign with Florida A&M on Aug. 27.