Mitch Trubisky officially designated as UNC's starting QB

North Carolina's worst-kept secret is out: Mitch Trubisky will be the Tar Heels' starting quarterback in 2016.

"I thought Mitch did a good job this spring and didn't just assume he was going to be the starter. He worked extremely hard and earned it," UNC coach Larry Fedora said in a statement on the school's athletics website. "We always want to have competition at every position. Mitch is the QB with the most experience returning, but he worked hard this spring, competed every day and deserves to be the starter."

A redshirt junior, Trubisky saw plenty of action the past two years behind graduated starter Marquise Williams, even splitting time with Williams for much of the first half of the 2014 season.

Last season, Trubisky appeared in nine of 14 games, completing 40 of 47 passes for 555 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He added 101 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.

He appeared in 12 of 13 games in 2014, completing 42 of 78 passes for 459 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He tallied 30 rushing yards.

Trubisky was an ESPN 300 quarterback from the Class of 2013 out of Mentor (Ohio) High.

The Tar Heels are coming off an 11-3 season that included an appearance in the ACC championship game. They open their 2016 season Sept. 3 against Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.