Fortin leaning on faith in quarterback battle

The redshirt freshman isn't afraid to admit he was nervous

The first quarterback to step into the media scrum on Tuesday evening, Cade Fortin was honest.

"I had a lot of anxiety coming into this and camp," he said.

A noble admission given the nature of college football and the not-so-fierce battle he finds himself in the middle of, taking on Sam Howell and Jace Ruder for the starting job.

A redshirt freshman, Fortin played in four games for the Tar Heels last season, completing 32 of 65 attempts for 388 yard with one touchdown and one interception as he battled injury all year.

Called the best pure-passer on the roster by offensive coordinator Phil Longo on Monday, Fortin showed up to camp intent on a fresh start in both life and football.

Starting Aug. 1, the day the Tar Heels reported to Chapel Hill for training camp, Fortin dove into his Bible.

"I really got into my faith and I really just kind of relied on god and said, ‘I have all these worries and I’m going to put it on you,'" Fortin said. "That just kind of took all that away."

So far, so good for the former three-star recruit from Suwanee, Ga. who 247 Sports ranked as the No. 29 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2018.

"That was really a game-changer for me," he said. "I have a God-given platform. He’s given me the abilities to play in college and have all this stuff, it would be a shame if I didn't use my platform for his word and just rely on him; that’s all I can do."

Watch Fortin's complete media availability from Tuesday.