Charlotte 49ers’ unique quarterback derby

CHARLOTTE ATHLETICS

Conner Harrell is one of three new quarterbacks vying for the starting job in 2025 for the Charlotte 49ers.

Having options at quarterback is a good thing.

The Charlotte 49ers have three new faces vying for the starting role in new coach Tim Albin’s offense. With the departure of DeShawn Purdie, Max Brown and Trexler Ivy, Albin was tasked with filling the quarterback room again.

Charlotte signed transfers Connor Harrell (North Carolina), Grayson Loftis (Duke) and Zach Wilcke (Northwest Mississippi) in the offseason. All three have unique skillsets and attributes that could lend themselves to getting the starting job in August.

Conner Harrell: A 6-2 redshirt junior, Harrell was a backup at North Carolina under coach Mack Brown. He appeared in five games and started in the 2023 Duke’s Mayo Bowl against West Virginia in Charlotte. He is a mobile quarterback that can be an equal threat in the run game as the pass game. Harrell says he has felt comfortable learning Albin’s system and excited to be at Charlotte.

“There is going to be a good opportunity to play,” Harrell said. “Being in a great environment … all of that stuff was very important to me coming out of the portal, and I think that I have made the right choice so far. Albin has been great; the team has been great, so I am excited to go throughout the season.”

Harrell says offensive coordinator Todd Fitch is diligent about making sure each quarterback understands the offense and how to run it.

“Coach Fitch has been around a lot,” Harrell said, "So, he's an extremely smart guy and teaches us really well. He's really disciplined in our reads and our protection. Football is becoming more and more similar as the [coaches and players] move around offenses. Players would play zone reads or read four verticals all the same, but the way he teaches and we execute, that’s what we’re trying to get right.”

Grayson Loftis: Loftis, who is 6-3, spent two years at Duke, where he appeared in 10 games for the Blue Devils. Loftis started five games in 2023 as a true freshman due to injuries at quarterback. In his time starting he threw for 1,006 yards and eight touchdowns. His career high was 270 passing yards against Virginia. Of the three quarterbacks, Loftis is more of a pure pocket passer, but, he wants it known that he can succeed on the ground if need be.

“I can definitely keep a team honest,” Loftis said. “It is a kind of run, get what you can get and get what you have to. Then, make the defense pay for not respecting my legs.”

Loftis, who played at Gaffney High, is a little closer to home than Durham.

“It is nice,” he said. “If it is Sunday and you want a home-cooked meal, you can run home and get a home-cooked meal. It is nice being around and not hard on the parents to get them here and if you need to run home and grab something you can. It’s been good.”

Loftis was complimentary of Fitch and his ability to ensure every quarterback understood the new offensive system.

“I think coach Fitch works really hard to make sure the quarterback is comfortable in the system,” Loftis said. “Connor being a little more athletic, might get a little more zone read or option plays, and I might have to work more from the pocket. I think he works really hard to ensure that the quarterback is set up for success and that's what you want.”

Zach Wilcke: Wilcke comes to Charlotte from Northwest Mississippi Junior College, where he played in all 12 games in 2024 with a season high of 287 yards passing. Prior to that, Wilcke played at Southern Miss where he redshirted as a sophomore in 2023 but started eight games as a freshman, going 5-3. Like Harrell and Loftis, Wilcke is impressed by Fitch.

“We're all picking up pretty well,” Wilcke said. “I feel like we’re competing really well. I’ve been out Saturday and [Tuesday] with an ankle injury, but I’ll be back soon. It's been a great competition. It is great learning from coach Fitch and seeing how these guys take in information and perform on the field as well.”

From the eyes of the OC

Fitch, Charlotte’s associate head coach and offensive coordinator, also leads the quarterbacks. Prior to Charlotte, Fitch was at LSU and Ohio State, where he coached several high-level quarterbacks, including C.J. Stroud, the 2023 NFL Rookie of the Year and second overall draft pick.

Fitch says that all three quarterbacks bring a unique skillset to the table, but all have been receptive to coaching, which is the first step.

“We have good competition,” he said. “The thing that sticks out about the room is all these guys came from good programs. They've had good experiences, so their baseline knowledge is really pretty solid, so we can progress faster than normal when you put a new system in. They’ve been impressive that way. Mentally, they all have good attributes in terms of their physical skills, a little different in the makeup sometimes, but there's things you can work with. We're just trying to talk to them consistently about, day to day, just kind of stacking your work. Worry about progressing yourself. The competition will take care of itself.”

One thing that Fitch is impressed with is the quarterbacks’ work ethic Having coached high level quarterbacks in the past, this is one thing that he felt each, and now he sees in this group.

“It starts with their mindset,” Fitch said. “They all pick things up well, and they can take the information from the meeting room to the field, which is critical, so you can get a jump start there. And they all have enough athleticism, arm talent, all those things combined to kind of piece it together to have that opportunity. But at the end of the day, it's going to be like we talked about a second ago, putting together good work, layering your work, and just building a strong foundation.”

In recent seasons, the 49ers have utilized multiple quarterbacks, but Fitch plans to narrow it down to a starter while developing depth.

“In a perfect world, you want to have a guy that establishes himself,” he said, “and that will take some time. A lot of times, I've been in situations where you have that competition, it takes a couple games, because all this work, all the things you do, you still have to go play the game. … You can't force it. If you force it, usually you make a mistake, but in today's football, and it’s been around for a while, obviously you have to have depth, because the defenses are aggressive. Obviously, injuries are part of the game, so if you don't have functional depth in the room, it’s going to be rough.”

Said Fitch: “[Having depth is] a blessing. Obviously, we want somebody that at some point takes charge and we can be like, ‘OK, that's the guy.’ That's what they want. That's what we want, but we’re going to let that process happen naturally and when it happens that way it’s usually the right choice.”

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