The Mysterious Case of Marquise Williams
While the Tar Heels have an important game against Wake Forest tonight, and a few obstacles to get through to come away with a victory (a team-wide flu epidemic and the absence of PJ Hairston), I thought I would do a spotlight on the UNC football team with signing day almost upon us.
On Monday, numerous media outlets reported that UNC back-up quarterback Marquise Williams was not enrolled in Carolina this semester. That led to a flurry of speculation surrounding his future with the Tar Heels. On Tuesday, the school sought to quiet these rumors by stating that Williams is indeed still on the team and is planning to enroll in summer school and play this fall. That still hasn’t been enough to bury the issue. Many message boards are still convinced that he’s transferring.
So why is Williams not in school this semester? It could be for a number of reasons. He could be having academic difficulties, or might be dealing with an important issue at home. Everyone goes through something from time to time and it’s not fair for fans to jump to conclusions. But it brings up another interesting point. If he IS transferring, what impact will it have on the Tar Heel football program?
Williams came in as one of the top dual-threat quarterback prospects in the Class of 2011. After redshirting his freshman season, he played in nine games this year as Bryn Renner’s backup, running for 186 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 10 of 17 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but with scholarship restrictions depth becomes an issue. Last year, UNC brought in two-star QB Kanler Coker from Georgia and has already seen this year’s Mr. Football from the State of Ohio, Mitch Trubisky (this year’s #7 dual-threat QB), enroll early. So it would seem that UNC has enough strength at the position to withstand the loss of Williams, right?
Wrong. Williams is arguably one of the most talented QBs on the roster and is the second most experienced player at the position. If Renner goes down, that leaves Larry Fedora’s promising second-year offense in the hands of a completely unproven starter. No Tar Heel fan wants to see that because we have high hopes for this season and for the future. Perhaps, Williams has similar hopes for his own future and doesn’t feel that it’s at Carolina. Fair enough. After all, he will be eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft and won’t have any significant snaps under his belt if Renner stays healthy.
But is the number of UNC QBs leaving the program an indicator of the times, or an epidemic? In 2009, part-time UNC starter Cam Sexton transferred to Division II Catawba College for a better chance at the NFL. He posted average numbers and ended up signing with the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders. He was released in April of last year. Another backup QB, Braden Hanson, transferred to the University of North Dakota in early 2012 and set the team’s single season passing record with 660 yards in a game against Montana in October. That worked out well for him, but he is not expected to be drafted this April. Even worse for the Tar Heels, two QBs backed out of their commitments to Carolina, Vanderbilt’s Patton Robinette and Notre Dame’s Everett Golson (recognize that name), before even playing a down.
So no matter what the reason, or even the perceived depth at UNC’s QB position with a solid starter and multiple backups, a loss of Williams would be huge for the Tar Heels and would continue the turmoil that just hasn’t stopped since Marvin Austin tweeted about being in Club LIV. Fortunately for Marvin, he got a Super Bowl ring last year, despite not playing. Michael McAdoo (not James Michael), a member of the Baltimore Raven’s injured reserve squad, continued the tradition this year. Butch Davis must be so proud.
The Confidential 