Sam Howell is a 3-year Dual-Threat QB for North Carolina. Sam's 2021 season ranks in the 23th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 509 plays — a developing 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.
Meaningful starter. Local collective + position-group deals.
Tier is a model estimate based on position, school brand, performance rank, and usage — not a reported deal. NIL deals are private. For a real market valuation, see On3's NIL profile, which factors in social following and actual deal tracking.
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 |
| Jordan Travis | Florida State | 2021 | 690 | 0.476 | 10.1 | 328.3 |
| Kyle McCord | Syracuse | 2024 | 632 | 0.509 | 12.1 | 321.4 |
| Sam Hartman | Wake Forest | 2021 | 647 | 0.556 | 11.8 | 359.6 |
| Trace McSorley | Penn State | 2017 | 626 | 0.513 | 12.7 | 321.0 |
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 | @Virginia Tech | L10-17 | 2.4 | 17/32 | 208 | 1 | 3 | 31.2 | 35 | 0 | 0.02 |
| 2 | vsGeorgia State | W59-17 | 1.8 | 21/29 | 352 | 3 | 0 | 96.2 | 104 | 2 | 0.83 |
| 3 | vsVirginia | W59-39 | 7.2 | 14/21 |
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 12/20 · Pass Yds 205 · Pass TD 1 · INT 0
| 307 |
| 5 |
| 1 |
| 93.7 |
| 112 |
| 0 |
| 0.86 |
| 4 | vsGeorgia Tech | L22-45 | -6.7 | 25/39 | 306 | 2 | 0 | 30.6 | 8 | 1 | 0.28 |
| 5 | vsDuke | W38-7 | -13.5 | 18/32 | 321 | 3 | 0 | 55.9 | 29 | 0 | 0.34 |
| 6 | vsFlorida State | L25-35 | 7.6 | 17/32 | 203 | 2 | 1 | 74.2 | 108 | 0 | 0.27 |
| 7 | vsMiami | W45-42 | 10.8 | 17/26 | 154 | 2 | 1 | 84.0 | 98 | 2 | 0.34 |
| 9 | @Notre Dame | L34-44 | 17.4 | 24/31 | 341 | 1 | 1 | 93.6 | 101 | 1 | 0.51 |
| 10 | vsWake Forest | W58-55 | 10.1 | 16/26 | 216 | 1 | 0 | 89.2 | 104 | 2 | 0.52 |
| 11 | @Pittsburgh | L23-30 | 17.6 | 22/33 | 296 | 2 | 1 | 68.4 | 28 | 1 | 0.25 |
| 13 | @NC State | L30-34 | 16.1 | 14/26 | 147 | 1 | 1 | 76.7 | 98 | 2 | 0.11 |
| 1 | vsSouth Carolina | L21-38 | 3.9 | 12/20 | 205 | 1 | 0 | 57.7 | 3 | 0 | 0.20 |