Who are the Top 5 Quarterbacks in Carolina History?

Bryn Renner had big expectations after replacing the school’s all-time leading passer in T.J. Yates. Not only did he live up to them, he exceeded them.

In his first start at North Carolina in 2011, Bryn Renner set school and ACC records for passing accuracy, completing 22 of 23 passes for 277 yards with two touchdowns with his only blemish being an interception. He finished the year completing 68.3% of his passes for 3.086 yards and 26 touchdowns, a then-school record and passer rating, which ranked 10th nationally.

Renner built on that success in 2012, completing more than 65% of his passes for 3,356 yards and 28 touchdowns — breaking the record he set the year before — with only seven interceptions, the fewest in the nation among eligible quarterbacks. His best game came in a 39-34 loss to Louisville, when he threw for 363 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. He earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.

A Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Award watch list selection in 2013, Renner’s promising senior season was cut short after seven games due to a shoulder injury. He finished with 1,765 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Renner finished with a 66.5% with 8,221 yards with 64 touchdowns and 25 intercrptions. Had he stayed healthy, he likely would have been UNC’s all-time passer.

4. Darian Durant (2001-2004)

Darian Durant finished his career that was one of brilliance, holding 51 individual records when his college career ended. As a sophomore, Durant set the school’s single-game passing record with 417 yards in a win against Arizona State. The following year, he established single-season marks with 389 passing attempts, 234 completions and 2,551 passing yards.

Durant graduated as UNC’s career leader in passing attempts (1,159), completions (701), passing touchdowns (68), passing yards (8,755) and total offense (9,630 yards). His best season came in 2003, when he completed 60.1% of his passes for 2,551 yards with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while also rushing for 396 yards and six scores.

Despite his individual success, Durant played during one of the program’s most difficult stretches. Aside from his freshman season, when he led the Tar Heels to a 16-10 win over Auburn in the 2001 Peach Bowl, North Carolina went 11-25 and fielded one of the worst defenses in college football.

3. Marquise Williams (2012-2015) 

One of the most electric players in Carolina history, Marquise Williams established more than 20 UNC records, including most career rushing yards and touchdowns by a quarterback and career total offense by the end of his career. Hiss 99 total touchdowns are the second-most in school history behind Sam Howell.

His peak season was in 2015, leading the Tar Heels to the ACC Championship game for the first time in school history and an 11-win season, the Tar Heels first 1997. That season, he passed for 3,072 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 948 yards and 13 touchdowns.

2. Drake Maye (2021-2023)

Drake Maye arrived in Chapel Hill with plenty of hype. He was a five-star quarterback from the Charlotte area, making him the most highly touted quarterback prospect in UNC history. He also carried a notable family legacy — his father, Mark, was a starting quarterback for the Tar Heels in the mid-1980s, and his brother, Luke, was a star power forward who hit the game-winning shot against Kentucky to send North Carolina to the Final Four in 2017 before winning the national championship.

Maye completed 65% of his passes for 8,018 yards and 63 touchdowns as a two-year starter for North Carolina. His best season came as a freshman in 2022, when he threw for a school-record 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He also rushed for nearly 700 yards and scored seven touchdowns. For his efforts, he was named ACC Player of the Year.

1. Sam Howell (2019-2021)

While Drake Maye might be the most talented quarterback in UNC history, Sam Howell is the most accomplished. By the end of his college career, Howell held multiple program records, including first in passing yards (10,283), passing yards per game (277.9), passing touchdowns (92), single-season passing touchdowns (38) and single-game passing yards (550). He also ranked second in passing yards per game, third in passing touchdowns and fifth in touchdowns responsible for in ACC history.

As a freshman in 2019, Howell made an immediate impact, throwing for 3,641 yards with 38 touchdowns and only seven interceptions — one of the best debuts in UNC history. He followed that up in 2020 with a 68.1% completion rate, 3,586 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, highlighted by a school-record 550 passing yards and six touchdowns in a 59-53 win over Wake Forest. In his junior year, Howell evolved into a true dual-threat quarterback, recording 3,056 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 828 yards and 11 scores.

His leadership helped guide North Carolina to its first major bowl game since 1949 — the Orange Bowl — where the Tar Heels fell to Texas A&M. The loss did not diminish the significance of the achievement, as the appearance marked a major milestone for the program.