North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick makes his first big transfer portal splash at UNC

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Apr 17, 2025 10:11 PM ET

Bill Belichick has made his first big splash in the transfer portal since he took over as the head coach at North Carolina.

Former South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez announced via social media on Thursday that he has committed to UNC.

Excited and grateful, go Heels! @UNCFootball pic.twitter.com/1qpdXxsHXa
— Gio Lopez 7️⃣ (@lopezgio1) April 18, 2025

Lopez completed 66% of his passes for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions as a redshirt freshman at South Alabama last season. He made 11 starts and led the Jaguars to a 6-5 record in those games.

The 6-foot, 220-pound Lopez is a dual-threat quarterback, as he also rushed for 465 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

North Carolina was in need of a quarterback upgrade after it struggled at the position last season. Max Johnson entered the year as UNC's starter but suffered a season-ending leg injury in the Tar Heels' first game. Jacolby Criswell was then thrust into a starting role and completed just 58.1% of his passes for 2,459 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Criswell transferred to East Tennessee State in January.

Johnson had been planning to return to UNC next year, but the addition of Lopez could change his plans. Lopez will enter 2025 as the favorite to start for the Tar Heels.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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