The rise of Commanders QB Sam Howell - ESPN

ASHBURN, Va. — Sam Howell needed to make a choice.

It was a day before North Carolina's 2019 spring game, and the true freshman quarterback was playing rock, paper, scissors to determine which candidate for the starting quarterback job would get first chance at impressing the coaches.

Howell won (he chose scissors), and it was the only opportunity he needed.

Howell was competing with two redshirt freshmen for the job: Cade Fortin and Jace Ruder. Howell's talent was obvious. But coach Mack Brown didn't know how he'd handle the pressure.

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But when Howell took the field, he delivered on one of his first throws.

«He turned it loose and zipped it. It was a perfect strike. We all said, 'Wow,'» Brown said. «That was one of the first times we knew he wasn't going to panic in front of people.»

There were hiccups: Howell tossed three picks early in those spring practices. He didn't throw another one.

«I was worried about him losing his confidence,» Brown said. «He didn't even blink. Very mature for his age and experience. He does not get rattled.»

Those traits helped enable Howell to go from becoming North Carolina's first true freshman starting quarterback to being named the ACC's rookie of the year. His 38 touchdown passes set an FBS record for a freshman. He helped elevate the Tar Heels almost immediately before leaving after three years as the school's record holder in 27 different categories, including passing yards (10,283), passing touchdowns (92) and career passing efficiency (164.2).

Looking back to that first season at North