One of the big missing pieces of Bill Belichick’s first North Carolina team had been quarterback. There was no clarity on who would play the position coming out of spring practice, where an inexperienced group of passers battled for the starting job. The Tar Heels seemed to feel the same way about their options, choosing to strike quickly upon the opening bell of the spring transfer portal window to land South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez.
Ranked as the No. 3 available quarterback in the 247Sports Portal rankings, Lopez broke out as a redshirt freshman during the 2024 season. He finished the year ranked 30th in ESPN’s QBR metric, completing 66% of his passes and running for 5.6 yards per carry while emerging as one of the top dual-threat options in the FBS.
So, what does Lopez’s addition mean for UNC’s QB room in 2025? How does he build on what the Tar Heels have done so far? And what could be next for a team expected to be extremely active during the spring cycle?
Let’s break it down …
Lopez stabilizes UNC’s QB situation
North Carolina went through the spring with two main players in its quarterback battle: Purdue transfer Ryan Browne and four-star true freshman Bryce Baker. Browne, a rising redshirt sophomore, had only thrown 92 career passes. Baker arrived on campus in January.
Exiting the spring game — and really for a few weeks before that — it was clear the Tar Heels would have to make a quarterback addition in the portal. UNC could have bet on one of its young passers or hoped veteran QB Max Johnson could return 100% from a leg injury he suffered to open last season. But neither of those options were a guarantee.
Instead, the Tar Heels made a move.
Lopez brings a full year of starting experience, three years of eligibility and dual-threat capabilities that will allow UNC to be a bit more flexible in its week-to-week offense.
Don’t be shocked if UNC adds another QB this cycle, too. Browne transferred out again before the Lopez news was even official, and the Tar Heels need numbers in that room.
What else has UNC done so far?
The Tar Heels have been busy!
North Carolina landed one of the top linebackers on the board in Missouri‘s Mikai Gbayor. A potential stabilizing presence in the middle of the defense — with some flexability to play off ball — Gbayor ranked as the No. 6 overall linebacker in the portal this cycle.
Gbayor only spent a few months in Columbia, by the way. He played the 2024 season with Nebraska, posting 49 tackles, six tackles for loss and three pass breakups in 11 starts.
He’s a foundational defensive piece for what defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is trying to build.
On the offensive side of the ball, UNC basically added to its transitional 2025 high school class with Colorado receiver Adrian Wilson. A four-star early enrollee with the Buffaloes, Wilson opted to enter the portal after only a few months; perhaps not a surprise after he committed to three schools during his high school process.
Still, Wilson is an absolute freak of an athlete. He’s the type of high-upside addition who could be a real difference maker for UNC down the line.
And don’t forget the specialists!
Belichick has always been known for special teams, and he ensured UNC had a veteran kicker and punter this week. North Carolina landed punter Jacob Horvath from Eastern Illinois, who averaged 44.1 yards per punt last season. The Tar Heels also added Marshall kicker Rece Verhoff, who finished 14-for-19 on his attempts last season.
What will North Carolina do next?
North Carolina’s 2025 transfer class ranks 11th in the 247Sports team rankings with 24 commitments. But that doesn’t mean UNC is done with the portal.
The Tar Heels entered the winter window with an obvious need in the trenches, both on the offensive and defensive lines. That hole was only magnified earlier this week when their best returning d-lineman, Beau Atkinson, opted to enter the transfer portal.
Expect UNC to go after multiple bodies along the line of scrimmage. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Tar Heels tried to find an impact running back in the portal.
Transition classes lend themselves to a lot of needs. And given that North Carolina’s already seen 14 players depart the program since the spring portal window opened, there’s plenty of room for them to keep adding to its 2025 portal class.
Sources across college football have indicated that UNC’s been among the most aggressive teams this cycle in pursuing needs and in backchannel conversations. Expect the Tar Heels to keep adding this cycle.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Former Florida State star, Jets QB Jordan Travis retires from NFL at 24 due to medical advice over leg injury from FSU
New York Jets quarterback and former Florida State star Jordan Travis announced on Wednesday that he's retiring from the NFL at 24 years old.Travis, who suffered a serious leg injury while playing for Florida State, cited medical advice regarding his injury for his decision to step away from football. Travis made the announcement with a hand-written note that he shared on social media.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"On November 18, 2023, my life and career took an unexpected turn," Travis wrote. "I gave everything I had to the rehab process, but despite my efforts my leg never responded the way we hoped."After much prayer and consultation with my doctors and medical team, I have been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply."The Jets confirmed that Travis had informed them of his decision to retire in a statement from general manager Darren […]
Bill Belichick says recent CBS interview was ‘selectively edited’ to create ‘false narrative’
A recent CBS interview with Bill Belichick was “selectively edited” to suggest a “false narrative,” North Carolina’s coach said in a statement released Wednesday.CBS’ “Sunday Morning” recently aired a segment delving into Belichick and his new book that veered into his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. Belichick, 73, said he “clearly communicated” with his publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews he did for the book would focus only on the book’s contents.Advertisement“Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview,” Belichick said in the statement.Hudson is not referenced in the book’s opening acknowledgments, which are limited to Belichick’s family and godfather. However, Belichick does thank Hudson in the closing acknowledgments, referencing her as his “idea mill” and “creative muse” on page 285 of a copy acquired by The Athletic.The book is set for release on May 6.The […]
Lamine Yamal injury: Barcelona star shakes off warmup knock to start Champions League semifinal vs. Inter
Getty Images Lamine Yamal overcame a last gasp injury scare to keep his spot in the Barcelona starting XI for their Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter.Yamal appeared to slip when shooting towards the end of Barcelona's pre-match warm up at the Olympic Stadium and departed for the locker room before his teammates. Television cameras showed the 17-year-old nursing an issue on his left groin or thigh and with barely a quarter of an hour until kick off doubts began to emerge as to whether the youngster would be able to start.However Yamal did indeed take the field, his 100th game for Barcelona coming two and a half months before his 18th birthday. The youngster has been one of European football's outstanding wingers this season and there will be extra pressure on both he and Raphinha given the ongoing […]
How utility player Tommy Edman’s surprise power surge has lifted Dodgers’ offense
Rowan Kavner MLB Writer <!--> --> On April 11, five players held a share of Major League Baseball’s home run lead. Unsurprisingly, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Kyle Schwarber were among them. More surprisingly, so was 23-year-old A’s slugger Tyler Soderstrom, a 6-foot-2-inch former top prospect whose ability to barrel a baseball was yielding the best results of his brief career. But the biggest outlier on the list came in a much smaller frame. "It’s a lot of guys that kind of look the same," 5-foot-9-inch infielder Tommy Edman said, "and then there’s me."Edman had never hit more than 13 home runs in a season, and he did not enter this year with a goal of transforming into a home-run-hitting sensation. But he already had six just 15 games into the year after some mechanical tweaks that the Dodgers knew they wanted […]
Kentucky Derby 2025 predictions, horses, time, picks, odds: Best bets by expert who called last year’s winner
Imagn Images Louisville native Brad Cox is technically already a Kentucky Derby winner, but he's still chasing his Run for the Roses moment. Mandaloun wasn't declared the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby until nine months after the race. However, Cox will have another chance to get into the winner's circle with Final Gambit on Saturday at Churchill Downs in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, with post time scheduled for 6:57 p.m. ET. The Jeff Ruby Steaks winner is a 30-1 longshot in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, but Cox and ownership group Juddmonte are teaming up just as they did with Mandaloun in 2021.Meanwhile, Journalism is the 3-1 favorite among the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses after drawing into the favorable No. 8 post position. Before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, you'll want to see what SportsLine horse racing expert […]
Absprache bei Bayern – So viele Spiele soll Urbig nächste Saison bekommen
Manuel Neuer (39) war früh klar, dass er nach seinem Muskelfaserriss in der Wade in den beiden Spielen gegen Inter Mailand nicht auflaufen kann. Jetzt steht der Bayern-Kapitän kurz vor der Rückkehr: Ein Einsatz gegen Leipzig am Samstag ist nicht ausgeschlossen. Weiter gilt aber: nur kein Risiko. Die strukturelle Verletzung an der Wade wird sehr ernst genommen, zumal bei Neuer an dieser Stelle schon mehrfach Probleme auftraten. Er hat ein großes Ziel: Der Torhüter will unbedingt bei der Klub-WM in den USA (14. Juni bis 13. Juli) im Tor stehen.Neuer wurde gut von Jonas Urbig (21) ersetzt: Der Winter-Zugang agierte speziell in den Partien gegen Inter souverän und unaufgeregt. In der Bundesliga stehen zwei Zu-null-Spiele in Serie. Die Bayern-Bosse trauen Urbig eine große Zukunft zu. Er soll in der nächsten Saison eine zweistellige Anzahl von Spielen bekommen. Ob dies eher […]
Related
Former Florida State star, Jets QB Jordan Travis retires from NFL at 24 due to medical advice over leg injury from FSU
New York Jets quarterback and former Florida State star Jordan Travis announced on Wednesday that he's retiring from the NFL at 24 years old.Travis, who suffered a serious leg injury while playing for Florida State, cited medical advice regarding his injury for his decision to step away from football. Travis made the announcement with a hand-written note that he shared on social media.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"On November 18, 2023, my life and career took an unexpected turn," Travis wrote. "I gave everything I had to the rehab process, but despite my efforts my leg never responded the way we hoped."After much prayer and consultation with my doctors and medical team, I have been medically advised to retire from the game I love so deeply."The Jets confirmed that Travis had informed them of his decision to retire in a statement from general manager Darren […]
Bill Belichick says recent CBS interview was ‘selectively edited’ to create ‘false narrative’
A recent CBS interview with Bill Belichick was “selectively edited” to suggest a “false narrative,” North Carolina’s coach said in a statement released Wednesday.CBS’ “Sunday Morning” recently aired a segment delving into Belichick and his new book that veered into his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. Belichick, 73, said he “clearly communicated” with his publicist at Simon & Schuster that any promotional interviews he did for the book would focus only on the book’s contents.Advertisement“Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview,” Belichick said in the statement.Hudson is not referenced in the book’s opening acknowledgments, which are limited to Belichick’s family and godfather. However, Belichick does thank Hudson in the closing acknowledgments, referencing her as his “idea mill” and “creative muse” on page 285 of a copy acquired by The Athletic.The book is set for release on May 6.The […]
Lamine Yamal injury: Barcelona star shakes off warmup knock to start Champions League semifinal vs. Inter
Getty Images Lamine Yamal overcame a last gasp injury scare to keep his spot in the Barcelona starting XI for their Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter.Yamal appeared to slip when shooting towards the end of Barcelona's pre-match warm up at the Olympic Stadium and departed for the locker room before his teammates. Television cameras showed the 17-year-old nursing an issue on his left groin or thigh and with barely a quarter of an hour until kick off doubts began to emerge as to whether the youngster would be able to start.However Yamal did indeed take the field, his 100th game for Barcelona coming two and a half months before his 18th birthday. The youngster has been one of European football's outstanding wingers this season and there will be extra pressure on both he and Raphinha given the ongoing […]
How utility player Tommy Edman’s surprise power surge has lifted Dodgers’ offense
Rowan Kavner MLB Writer <!--> --> On April 11, five players held a share of Major League Baseball’s home run lead. Unsurprisingly, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Kyle Schwarber were among them. More surprisingly, so was 23-year-old A’s slugger Tyler Soderstrom, a 6-foot-2-inch former top prospect whose ability to barrel a baseball was yielding the best results of his brief career. But the biggest outlier on the list came in a much smaller frame. "It’s a lot of guys that kind of look the same," 5-foot-9-inch infielder Tommy Edman said, "and then there’s me."Edman had never hit more than 13 home runs in a season, and he did not enter this year with a goal of transforming into a home-run-hitting sensation. But he already had six just 15 games into the year after some mechanical tweaks that the Dodgers knew they wanted […]
Kentucky Derby 2025 predictions, horses, time, picks, odds: Best bets by expert who called last year’s winner
Imagn Images Louisville native Brad Cox is technically already a Kentucky Derby winner, but he's still chasing his Run for the Roses moment. Mandaloun wasn't declared the winner of the 2021 Kentucky Derby until nine months after the race. However, Cox will have another chance to get into the winner's circle with Final Gambit on Saturday at Churchill Downs in the 2025 Kentucky Derby, with post time scheduled for 6:57 p.m. ET. The Jeff Ruby Steaks winner is a 30-1 longshot in the 2025 Kentucky Derby odds, but Cox and ownership group Juddmonte are teaming up just as they did with Mandaloun in 2021.Meanwhile, Journalism is the 3-1 favorite among the 2025 Kentucky Derby horses after drawing into the favorable No. 8 post position. Before making any 2025 Kentucky Derby picks, you'll want to see what SportsLine horse racing expert […]
Absprache bei Bayern – So viele Spiele soll Urbig nächste Saison bekommen
Manuel Neuer (39) war früh klar, dass er nach seinem Muskelfaserriss in der Wade in den beiden Spielen gegen Inter Mailand nicht auflaufen kann. Jetzt steht der Bayern-Kapitän kurz vor der Rückkehr: Ein Einsatz gegen Leipzig am Samstag ist nicht ausgeschlossen. Weiter gilt aber: nur kein Risiko. Die strukturelle Verletzung an der Wade wird sehr ernst genommen, zumal bei Neuer an dieser Stelle schon mehrfach Probleme auftraten. Er hat ein großes Ziel: Der Torhüter will unbedingt bei der Klub-WM in den USA (14. Juni bis 13. Juli) im Tor stehen.Neuer wurde gut von Jonas Urbig (21) ersetzt: Der Winter-Zugang agierte speziell in den Partien gegen Inter souverän und unaufgeregt. In der Bundesliga stehen zwei Zu-null-Spiele in Serie. Die Bayern-Bosse trauen Urbig eine große Zukunft zu. Er soll in der nächsten Saison eine zweistellige Anzahl von Spielen bekommen. Ob dies eher […]
Be the first to leave a comment