Sam Howell, North Carolina Football News: Draft Scout Player News

07/23/21 - QB Sam Howell, Jr/2022, North Carolina

The unofficial Sam Howell campaign for the Heisman Trophy kicks off Wednesday in Charlotte at the ACC's annual two-day media event, where the North Carolina quarterback will be as much the center of attention as any other player or even new commissioner Jim Phillips. To bolster Howell's candidacy for the award - Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler is the betting favorite, but Howell's right there with him - the university has prepared a massive publicity campaign consisting of: almost nothing. No posters, no notebooks, no billboards, no bobbleheads, no gifts, no gimmicks. If Howell wins the Heisman, he'll do it on his own. Which is exactly how both the quarterback and Mack Brown want it.

"Just as we did with Ricky Williams at Texas, we consider this a team award," Brown said earlier this month. "If we do well, Sam will do well." There are two subtle messages buried within that absence of messaging, one about Howell and one about the Tar Heels. Just as Howell has signed with an agent to handle any endorsement deals but has yet to actually sign any, a Heisman publicity campaign isn't really his style. Despite being the focus of the team for two seasons and a national star going into his third, he hasn't exactly embraced the public spotlight, although he certainly hasn't shied away either. He's done most of his talking on the field. The same will be said of his Heisman candidacy. There's nothing surprising or unusual about that. If anything, the Tar Heels' low-key approach to Howell's award chances says more about them. - Raleigh News Observer

Jr/2022