Sam Howell was born on September 16, 2000, he is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina, setting school records for most touchdown passes in a single season (38) as well as career passing yards (10,283) and touchdown passes (92) prior to being drafted by the Commanders in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He attended and played football for Sun Valley High School, where he threw for 13,415 yards and 145 touchdowns while rushing for 3,621 yards and 60 touchdowns during his time there. Howell enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in January 2019. He won an open competition to become the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback.
He became the first true freshman at the school to win the starting quarterback job in his first year. In his debut, he passed for 245 yards and two touchdowns in a season-opening 24-20 victory over South Carolina. Against NC State, Howell threw for 401 yards and three touchdowns in a 41–10 victory.
Much like his sophomore year, Howell received significant hype going into his junior campaign, being named to multiple award watchlists, and was also considered one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. Against Georgia State in week two, Howell threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 104 yards and two more scores, becoming the second quarterback in Tar Heel history to throw for over 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game.
Despite predictions of being an early pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Howell would not be selected until the fifth round when he was drafted 144th overall by the Washington Commanders. He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 6, 2022.
Howell started 12 games and recorded 217 completions for 3,056 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in his junior year in 2021. He added 183 carries for 828 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
Recent Games
| WK | OPP | RESULT | COMP | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SCK | SCKY | RATE | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | FUM | LOST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | @Eagles | W 32 – 21 | |||||||||||||||
| 9 | Vikings | L 17 – 20 | |||||||||||||||
| 8 | @Colts | W 17 – 16 | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Packers | W 23 – 21 | |||||||||||||||
| 6 | @Bears | W 12 – 7 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Titans | L 17 – 21 | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | @Cowboys | L 10 – 25 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | Eagles | L 8 – 24 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | @Lions | L 27 – 36 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Jaguars | W 28 – 22 |
Career Stats
QB Career
| SEASON | TEAM | G | GS | COMP | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | SCK | SCKY | RATE | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | FUM | LOST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL |