North Carolina is coming off a disappointing 4-8 season. Now, Bill Belichick is looking to revamp the offense, firing Freddie Kitchens and bringing in Bobby Petrino to run the offense. North Carolina has brought in Billy Edwards Jr. from Wisconsin in an effort to change the offense. As a response to the move to bring in a new quarterback, one of the current Tar Heels has hit the College Football Transfer Portal.
Gio Lopez, who started 11 games for North Carolina in 2025, will be entering the transfer portal, according to Pete Nakos of On3Sports.
Lopez originally was expected to stay with North Carolina, but has now changed his mind with the addition of Edwards to the roster. Lopez was not great this year for the offense. He passed for just 1,747 yards in 11 games with ten touchdowns. The quarterback also threw five interceptions and was sacked 20 times. He ran for 133 yards and scored three times on the campaign.
Lopez committed out of high school to South Alabama for the 2023 season, appearing in five games with one start. The one start was the 2023 68 Ventures Bowl, allowing him to retain his redshirt and a year of eligibility. He then started 11 games in 2024, passing for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns, while rushing for 465 yards and finding the end zone seven times. The former Tar Heel will now be looking for his third school in three years and has two years of eligibility left.
North Carolina is expected to bring in more quarterbacks, but with Bryce Baker and Max Johnson both also in the portal, Edwards has the clear path to becoming the UNC starter. Edwards started just two games with Wisconsin before going down with an injury. The former Badger started his career at Wake Forest in 2021, not seeing action and taking a redshirt year. He would then transfer to Maryland for the next three seasons.
Edwards has been granted a sixth year of eligibility with the NCAA, giving Edwards a medical redshirt season. In his best season at Maryland, Edwards passed for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns, which would be an upgrade for the North Carolina offense.
