The North Carolina Tar Heels entered the 2024 college football season with plenty of questions – and roster spots that needed to be filled.
One of the most crucial answers UNC searched for was at quarterback, as Drake Maye departed for the NFL Draft after 2023. North Carolina entered last season with a battle between Max Johnson and Conner Harrell, then the latter played after Johnson broke his leg.
Ineffective play from Harrell then caused the Tar Heels to find their starting quarterback:Â Jacolby Criswell, who threw for 2,459 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Criswell transferred back to UNC from a year at Arkansas, proving himself as a solid starter, but he won’t be playing football in Chapel Hill any longer.
On Wednesday, January 15, Criswell entered his name in the transfer portal with a year of eligibility remaining.
Teams are always in the market for quarterbacks, so I imagine Criswell will have plenty of suitors. Does he go back to Arkansas, stay within the ACC or transfer to a smaller program where he can truly shine?
Criswell played most of North Carolina’s victory over Charlotte, then nabbed his first start against James Madison. While Criswell struggled with multiple turnovers against the Dukes, the Tar Heels struggled as a whole, giving up 70 points to a team it should’ve beaten by two touchdowns.
Criswell’s best stretch of the season came between UNC’s loss to Pitt and bowl-clinching win against Wake Forest, when he didn’t throw a single interception. North Carolina lost big to UConn in the Fenway Bowl – and lost Criswell to injury in the process.
