Who will be North Carolina's starting QB for Duke's Mayo Bowl? Exploring Tar Heels' QB Depth chart ahead of West Virginia matchup

North Carolina has been dealing with players opting out of the Mayo Bowl due to transferring or preparing for the 2024 NFL draft. One of the players who will not be suiting up for the Tar Heels will be starting quarterback Drake Maye.

Maye has been a strong quarterback this season, going 269 of 425 (63.3 completion %) for 3,608 yards with 24 passing touchdowns to nine interceptions. However, with Maye sitting out, North Carolina will turn to a new quarterback for its bowl game against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

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Who will be North Carolina's starting QB for the Mayo Bowl?

With Drake Maye not playing in this game, the North Carolina Tar Heels are having freshman quarterback Conner Harrell get the start in this bowl game. He has appeared in three games on mop-up duty throughout his first college football season.

Harell has gone just 4 of 6 (66.7 completion %) for 71 yards and a touchdown pass while also running five times for 60 yards (12.0 yards per carry) with a rushing touchdown.

This ability for the North Carolina offense to still have some chunk plays will be great, as Harrell has shown the ability to throw the ball down the field and make plays while also being a dual threat under center.

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North Carolina Tar Heels QB Depth Chart

The North Carolina Tar Heels have three other quarterbacks on the roster that could see some time in this game. After Harrell, junior Jefferson Boaz and sophomore Russell Tabor will be in the backup and third-string roles, respectively.

This will be an inexperienced quarterback depth chart, as Boaz has attempted two passes (one in each of the previous two seasons) while Tabor has not seen the field in his college football career.

It will be interesting to see what the Tar Heels have at the quarterback position, as this bowl game can determine whether or not North Carolina heads to the transfer portal to find one of the remaining quarterbacks.

The Duke's Mayo Bowl has a lot of interesting dynamics as the North Carolina Tar Heels are currently six-point underdogs in this matchup. While they still have some outstanding skill position players on the field for this game, seeing how Conner Harrell plays could be a sight into the future for the program at the quarterback position.