Bill Belichick Lets QB Battle Play Out at UNC

One of the main storylines for Bill Belichick’s first fall camp at North Carolina is the quarterback battle between Max Johnson and Gio Lopez.

Johnson, who missed all of last season after a gruesome injury in the opening game in 2024, returns for his sixth season after stints at LSU, Texas A&M and UNC. Over his career, he has completed 60.5% of his passes for 5,923 yards, 47 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Lopez is coming off a breakout 2024 season in which he completed 66% of his passes for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 463 yards and seven scores. Pro Football Focus graded him at 91.0 on throws of 20-plus yards.

Although many expect Lopez to start — in part due to his NIL deal and his presence at ACC Kickoff — Belichick said no decision will be made until the coaching staff is sure.

“From my coaching experience, you want to define who the starter is, not pick Player A and then switch to Player B after letting them compete,” Belichick said. “Once we’re confident about who has earned the spot — because it’s not about us picking, it’s about the player earning it — then we’ll make the decision.”

Belichick added that the process is rooted in competition and evaluation, not preconceived depth charts. Every detail will factor into the decision, and the staff will let the battle play out as long as necessary to ensure the choice is based on performance rather than projection.

"Nobody's entitled to it,” Belichick said. “Nobody's going to be given anything. "The player who plays the best and earns that playing time will get it. And I don't know who that's going to be. That'll be up to them. But it certainly would be good to have that done before the first game and maybe even … two weeks before the first game. The sooner the better. But it's better to make the right decision than a quick decision. So, that's what we'll try to do. But that's one of the key questions we have to answer."

Regardless of the result, Johnson understands a decision has to be made and it might not be him, but he's grateful to compete as he wasn't sure if his life was going to be normal nearly a year

"I've talked with Coach Belichick, Coach Kitchens that the best man is gonna play," Johnson said. "Whoever that is, I know Coach Belichick is going to make the best decision. I'm just blessed to be here, able to compete. It just feels good to be able to do it again."

Despite competing for the same job, Johnson and Lopez have built a strong rapport.

"Honestly, we've been super helpful with each other,” Lopez told the ACC Network on July 24 at the ACC Kickoff. “We went to the Manning Passing Academy together, and we got closer there. So the whole stigma that you hate the guy you're competing against isn't true. Me and Max are pretty good people, and we're both competing from a good sense.”