All eyes will be on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Bill Belichick’s first as a collegiate head coach this coming college football season. And while there are still several questions around the organization that have yet to be answered, one big question may have been answered on Thursday by the addition of former South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez.
North Carolina had a revolving door at the quarterback position this past season, with four different quarterbacks, Jacoby Criswell, Conner Harrell, Michael Merdinger, and Max Johnson all taking snaps at the position.
Of these options, Criswell, Harrell, and Merdinger have all departed in the transfer portal. And with Max Johnson still recovering from a fractured right leg that ended his 2024 season, the Tar Heels had a glaring hole under center going into Bill Belichick’s first year on the job in Chapel Hill.
On Thursday, Belichick made his first big move in the transfer portal, getting a commitment from Gio Lopez, which was first reported by Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.
Ex-South Alabama standout QB Gio Lopez is in fact committing to North Carolina, sources tell @TomLoy247, @chris_hummer and me.
Adds a talented young QB for Bill Belichick. Threw for 2,559 yards and 18 TDs as a redshirt freshman last year. Also ran for seven TDs.… https://t.co/eDZumES4t1 pic.twitter.com/3bmAtRIIru
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 18, 2025
As Zenitz said, Lopez starred at South Alabama as a redshirt freshman this past season, throwing for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns with just five interceptions. Additionally, Lopez was effective with his legs, adding 463 yards on the ground with seven rushing touchdowns.
Only time will tell whether Lopez’s production will carry over to the Power Five level in the ACC. But on paper, he pretty clearly has the inside track to ultimately being named the Week 1 starter for Belichick. Currently, the only other healthy quarterback on the roster is true freshman four-star quarterback Bryce Baker.
If Lopez is the starter for UNC, he will undoubtedly face as much pressure as anyone who has worn a Tar Heel jersey in quite some time, which comes along with committing to play for someone like Bill Belichick.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.