North Carolina will start its third quarterback in four games as Jacolby Criswell will take the first snaps against James Madison on Saturday, a source told ESPN.

Criswell, who returned to North Carolina after spending the 2023 season at Arkansas, had played games with Conner Harrell during the week.

The Tar Heels lost Max Johnson, a transfer from Texas A&M, to a broken leg in their season opener against Minnesota. Harrell replaced Johnson and started the past two games, but he struggled early last week against North Carolina A&T and was replaced by Criswell, who had 161 passing yards and a touchdown in a 45-10 win.

“He’s made tremendous progress,” offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said of Criswell this week. “He came here late in the summer and he got a lot of reps in fall camp early, but then you have to start getting ready for the first game, and we just felt like Conner and Max were ahead of him as far as reps and offense and everything else. What I’ve seen, especially since Max got hurt, it’s not that he didn’t prepare earlier, I’ve seen a greater sense of urgency, probably on his part.”

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Criswell joined UNC in 2020 but played sparingly over three seasons, though he started one game in 2021. He appeared in four games for Arkansas in 2023, throwing for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Criswell then transferred back to North Carolina after spring practice, where he remained eligible for two seasons.

247 Sports first reported that Criswell was North Carolina’s projected starter for the game against James Madison.