Bill Belichick’s effort to strengthen the UNC offense backfired, as the Tar Heels’ three-star starting QB announced his exit. Reports reveal that the QB was interested in returning, but Bill Belichick’s transfer portal move forced him to make the decision.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos’ report, UNC’s QB Gio Lopez, who expressed his interest in returning to Chapel Hill two weeks ago through his agents, will now be entering the transfer portal. Reports reveal that North Carolina’s interest in bringing in multiple quarterbacks forced him to enter the transfer portal, looking for a new home for the 2026 season.

His decision to enter the portal came after the former Big Ten (Wisconsin) QB Billy Edwards announced his commitment to the Tar Heels on Sunday. The Tar Heels also invited Texas A&M quarterback transfer Miles O’Neill to the campus on Monday. 

Lopez threw for 1,747 yards for 10 touchdowns and five interceptions with a 65.1% completion rate. He also rushed for 133 yards on 83 carries for three touchdowns this season. It wasn’t his best compared to his previous season with South Alabama, where he recorded 2559 passing yards for 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.

After spending two seasons at South Alabama, Lopez came to UNC after the spring practice in April 2025, signing a two-year NIL deal with UNC, which pays him $2 million. He was announced as the starting quarterback for the Tar Heels days before the regular season and injured his back in the season opener against TCU. He remained as QB1 despite Freddie Kitchens’ offensive scheme being ill-suited to his skill set.

The lack of offense made UNC fire Freddie Kitchens shortly after the regular season, and Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino replaced him as the OC. The change in the offensive coach and the change in attention on the QB role are considered the reasons behind Lopez’ move to the portal, with two years of eligibility remaining.

Wisconsin’s Billy Edwards commits to UNC

Bill Belichick’s North Carolina landed a commitment from Wisconsin’s quarterback Billy Edwards on January 4th, one day before Gio Lopez entered the transfer portal. This is Edwards’ fourth college in his six years. He began his career at Wake Forest but never played, redshirting his freshman season. He spent the next three seasons with Maryland before moving to Wisconsin last fall. Edwards’ football career was ruined by injuries and spending time in rehab at Wisconsin.

Before moving to Wisconsin, Edwards appeared in 26 games for Maryland and totaled 3,317 passing yards for 19 touchdowns and ten interceptions. He had a notable 2024 season, where Edwards started 11 games for the Terrapins and finished with 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

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The past season was supposed to be his final season, but he suffered a knee injury and earned a medical waiver. This helps land the redshirt senior for the final season at Chapel Hill, and he is most probably suited to step up in the starting quarterback role. Despite Edwards, Texas A&M’s QB Miles O’Neill is expected to visit Chapel Hill on Monday. It is important to note that O’Neill was recruited by Bobby Petrino. All these make the quarterback room crowded and keep the starting role competitive at UNC.