How Sam Howell's past can define his future as Commanders franchise QB

Sam Howell dominated his first two college years

Sam Howell was once deemed as the potential future first-round pick and Heisman Trophy contender following his early success at North Carolina after two seasons as the starter. He was rated as a four-star prospect, and the No. 3 quarterback of the 2019 class according to 247 Sports.

Howell's dominance at Sun Valley High School in Monroe, North Carolina earned him offers from nearly every elite program in the country. These included Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Clemson, Ole Miss, Florida State, Miami, and just about everyone else.

The undersized high-character dual-threat passer was intriguing for his natural arm strength, accuracy, and ability to use his lower body power to aid him as a thrower and a runner. Howell was seen as a rare gifted athlete, who also thrived in baseball, and could use his legs to move out of the pocket and beat teams as a runner when the situation called for it.

Howell initially committed to the Seminoles. But when Mack Brown was hired to revive the Tar Heels - and added Phil Longo as their offensive coordinator - he returned home and the decision paid off immediately.

During his freshman year, Howell started all 13 games in 2019 and set multiple records while earning a bevy of accolades.

After taking over the most important position for a team that won just two games the following season, Howell led the Tar Heels to a (7-6) finish in 2019 that concluded with a dominating 55-13 victory over Temple in the Military Bowl. He completed 24-of-35 pass attempts for three touchdowns, and no picks, even recording a receiving touchdown to put the icing on the cake.

Suddenly, Howell's early success in Chapel Hill put him on the national radar. In 2020, he delivered once again.

Howell led the ACC and ranked sixth nationally with 30 touchdown passes and his 68 over his first two seasons are the most through a sophomore year in ACC history. The quarterback topped the conference and was fourth nationally with 3,586 passing yards, 30 passing scores, and just seven interceptions.

He closed out his second college season with an impressive quarterback efficiency rating of 178.6, added another five touchdowns on the ground, and even recorded a rare feat in a critical game late in the campaign where Howell threw a touchdown, ran for another and also recorded a receiving score. This helped the Tar Heels secure an 8-4 finish and an Orange Bowl matchup against Texas A&M.

In a piece about Howell's quest to take down the ACC powerhouse Clemson ahead of the 2021 season written for Yahoo Sports by Pete Thamel, there was a quote from his offensive coordinator that sums up the young quarterback's mentality and approach to the game.

" He wants to be the best ever. He wants to be better than anybody in the country. He wants to go to the NFL so he can try to prove the same thing there."

- Phil Longo via Yahoo Sports

Suddenly Howell was a household name heading into his junior season at UNC. He was on Heisman Trophy watch lists and NFL Draft experts were touting him as a clear top pick for 2022.