After North Carolina football's starting quarterback Max Johnson suffered a season-ending injury in the regular-season opening 19-17 win against Minnesota football, head coach Mack Brown watched his team continue to win. Quarterback Conner Harrell led North Carolina to a 38-20 victory against UNC Charlotte and a 45-10 blowout win in Week 3 against NC Central. However, ahead of facing James Madison this Saturday, Brown is making a quarterback switch, per CBS Sports/247 Sports' Matt Zenitz.

“North Carolina is expected to shift to Jacolby Criswell as its starting QB when it faces JMU tomorrow,” Zenitz said. “Criswell, a former four-star recruit who signed with UNC in 2020, returned to the Tar Heels this offseason after a year at Arkansas.”

After encouraging Conner Harrell to lead in Max Johnson's absence, coach Brown is going a different route against James Madison. At the tail-end of North Carolina's latest back-to-back lopsided victories, Jacolby Criswell earned reps at quarterback, including coming in for Harrell for the third series against NC Central and was 14-of-23 for 161 yards with a touchdown pass in UNC's latest win.

Criswell will be the third starting quarterback for coach Brown and the Tar Heels this season.

Jacolby Criswell will start at quarterback versus James Madison

Jacolby Criswell (6) looks to pass the ball during the first half against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images
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After Jacolby Criswell's convincing performance in North Carolina football's 45-10 blowout win against NC Central impressed Mack Brown, not even offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey could predict who would get the nod at starting quarterback in Week 4, per 247sports' Matt Zenitz.

“If you feel like we're not moving the ball, maybe we need a shot in the arm. Maybe a guy needs to come and watch for a series, and maybe he goes back in. There's a lot of factors involved in that,” Lindsey explained. “But I think that's something that there's not really a right or wrong answer. A lot of it's just a gut feeling and trying to figure out, ‘Hey, do we need a spark? Or, simply, we just want to play both guys and get guys live reps in the games because you can't beat that experience.”

Criswell played in four games for Arkansas football last season before transferring back to the Tar Heels.