South Alabama QB Gio Lopez commits to UNC football, Bill Belichick (2025)

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Gio Lopez stats as South Alabama QB Will Gio Lopez be UNC football’s starting QB in Bill Belichick’s first season? References

Bill Belichick might have found his starting quarterback for his debut season with UNC football.

South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez committed to Belichick and the Tar Heels on April 17, giving the program a boost to its light QB room.

"Excited and grateful, go Heels!" Lopez wrote in a social media post.

Lopez joins a group that includes freshman Bryce Baker and veteran Max Johnson, who is coming off a season-ending leg injury. Purdue transfer Ryan Browne joined the Tar Heels when the winter portal window opened, but Browne re-entered the portal on April 16.

Gio Lopez stats as South Alabama QB

A Mobile, Alabama native, Lopez started turning heads nationally with an MVP performance as a freshman against Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl. He accounted for 280 yards and four touchdowns in his first postseason start and carried that success into his redshirt freshman season.

After winning the starting job in 2024, Lopez set the program’s single-game record for total offense with nearly 500 yards in a Week 1 loss to North Texas. In his lone start against a high-major program, he had 173 yards and a TD in a loss at No. 14 LSU.

The 6-foot, 220-pound quarterback finished with 2,559 passing yards and 25 total touchdowns, completing 66% of his passes with 18 passing TDs in 11 starts. Lopez also showed an ability to make plays out of the pocket, logging 465 rushing yards and seven TDs on the ground.

Will Gio Lopez be UNC football’s starting QB in Bill Belichick’s first season?

Players still didn’t have jersey numbers during UNC’s open practice on April 12, so it was hard to glean much information in evaluating most of the roster. But one thing was clear: the Tar Heels needed a starting quarterback. Baker showed his potential with some big-time throws, but he was shaky in the pocket and struggled to get the ball out on time for much of the scrimmage portion.

Browne had a better pocket presence, but missed on some easy throws and had a red-zone interception. Baker has the look of a potential standout as a starter, but Lopez’s arrival will give the freshman time to develop and learn behind a player ready to step in right away. Lopez has a chance to be the guy to help UNC take advantage of a favorable schedule in Belichick’s debut year in Chapel Hill.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: South Alabama QB Gio Lopez commits to UNC football, Bill Belichick