Sam Howell is a 3-year Dual-Threat QB for North Carolina. Sam's 2019 season ranks in the 73th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 506 plays — a average rate for the QB. Production has trended downward season-over-season on adjusted value metrics.
Recruiting data from CFBD/247Sports composite. Sourced from the player's signing-class team — transfers show original school's class.
A genuine rushing threat who stresses defenses horizontally. Extends plays with legs and forces extra gap assignments.
Players from 2014–2024 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.
| Player | Team | Yr | Plays | WEPA/play | Line val | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stetson Bennett | Georgia | 2022 | 509 | 0.635 | 12.4 | 323.0 |
| Tanner Mordecai | SMU | 2021 | 510 | 0.630 | 14.0 | 321.5 |
| Ryan Higgins | Louisiana Tech | 2016 | 571 | 0.586 | 13.7 | 334.6 |
| J.T. Barrett | Ohio State | 2017 | 576 | 0.593 | 14.1 | 341.6 |
| Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | 2015 | 577 | 0.561 | 14.1 | 323.7 |
Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Opp SP+ | C/ATT | Pass Yds | Pass TD | INT | QBR | Rush Yds | Rush TD | EPA/play |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsSouth Carolina | W24-20 | 4.8 | 15/24 | 245 | 2 | 0 | 27.7 | 6 | 0 | 0.32 |
| 2 | vsMiami | W28-25 | 9.6 | 16/24 | 274 | 2 | 0 | 74.9 | -9 | 0 | 0.51 |
| 3 | @Wake Forest | L18-24 | 2.0 | 17/28 |
Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).
| Season | Team | Line value | WEPA/play | YoY Δ | Total EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | North Carolina | 12.9 | 0.580 | — | 316.3 |
| 2020 | North Carolina | 11.3 | 0.581 | +0.00 | 263.9 |
| 2021 | North Carolina | 7.8 | 0.480 | -0.10 | 270.4 |
Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.
C/ATT 25/34 · Pass Yds 294 · Pass TD 3 · INT 0
| 182 |
| 2 |
| 0 |
| 25.1 |
| -2 |
| 0 |
| 0.13 |
| 4 | vsApp State | L31-34 | 11.3 | 27/41 | 323 | 3 | 2 | 58.2 | 24 | 1 | 0.49 |
| 5 | vsClemson | L20-21 | 28.1 | 15/27 | 144 | 2 | 0 | 37.2 | -5 | 0 | 0.15 |
| 6 | @Georgia Tech | W38-22 | -12.0 | 33/51 | 376 | 4 | 1 | 80.5 | 1 | 0 | 0.48 |
| 8 | @Virginia Tech | L41-43 | 8.0 | 26/49 | 348 | 5 | 0 | 64.6 | -10 | 0 | 0.24 |
| 9 | vsDuke | W20-17 | -1.8 | 10/26 | 227 | 2 | 2 | 26.5 | -18 | 0 | 0.28 |
| 10 | vsVirginia | L31-38 | 6.3 | 15/29 | 353 | 4 | 0 | — | -3 | 0 | 0.33 |
| 12 | @Pittsburgh | L27-34 | 4.1 | 27/43 | 322 | 3 | 1 | — | -23 | 0 | 0.18 |
| 13 | vsMercer | W56-7 | — | 10/13 | 152 | 3 | 0 | — | 17 | 0 | 1.05 |
| 14 | @NC State | W41-10 | -6.3 | 23/33 | 401 | 3 | 1 | — | 4 | 0 | 0.49 |
| 1 | vsTemple | W55-13 | 3.2 | 25/34 | 294 | 3 | 0 | — | 53 | 0 | 0.76 |